Richard Fontaine, CEO of the Center for a New American Security, joins Clearer Than Truth to examine the strategic challenges facing the United States in an increasingly contested world. From the Trump administration’s approach to military force and the future of American alliances to defense spending, the competition with China, and the growing role of artificial intelligence, Fontaine explores whether the United States has a coherent strategy to match its global power. He also explains why Washington has repeatedly struggled to prioritize the Indo-Pacific, how allies are reassessing American reliability, and why he remains cautiously optimistic about America’s long-term advantages.

00:00 Richard Fontaine on America's Changing Foreign Policy
00:32 Is America's Grand Strategy Fundamentally Changing?
01:53 The Lasting Shift Toward Protectionism
03:12 Does Trump's Foreign Policy Have Historical Precedents?
05:28 What Would John McCain Think of America Today?
07:04 Has America Become an Overextended Superpower?
09:40 Can America Still Trust Its Alliances?
11:52 Trump's Way of War vs. the Powell Doctrine
13:41 Why Clear Military Objectives Matter
15:05 The Problem With Trump's Flexible War Strategy
17:32 What the Powell Doctrine Would Say About Iran
18:51 Can America Afford Another Major War?
19:19 Could America Defend Taiwan Against China?
21:17 America's Defense Industrial Base Problem
22:16 How AI Will Reshape Global Power
24:16 Should America Stay Ahead of China in AI?
25:46 Can America and China Agree on AI Safety?
28:57 What Nuclear Arms Control Can Teach Us About AI
30:06 Why Crises Sometimes Force International Cooperation
32:34 Why America Keeps Failing to Pivot to Asia
34:10 How Middle East Wars Derail America's Asia Strategy
35:21 Is China Still America's Biggest Strategic Rival?
36:36 What CNAS Is Working on Now
37:42 Can America Rebuild the International Order?
38:45 What Still Makes America Powerful?
40:38 Why Richard Fontaine Remains Optimistic
41:13 Where to Follow Richard Fontaine

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