Belfer Center Senior Fellow Susan E. Rice, an ambassador and former National Security advisor to President Barack Obama, reflects on President Trump's latest mishandling of American foreign policy.

Former national security advisors Condoleezza Rice, Stephen Hadley, Susan Rice, and Thomas Donilon in conversation with Nicholas Burns, director of the Aspen Strategy Group and professor at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.

The nearly 17-year-old Afghanistan conflict, the longest war in United States history, will not end on the battlefield. It can be resolved only at the negotiating table. So, the bold offer last month from President Ashraf Ghani of Afghanistan to negotiate with the Taliban “without preconditions” is a welcome initiative. But it faces daunting obstacles.

America’s adversaries exploit the vulnerability created by our dysfunctional democracy. Today, in contrast to Sept. 11, a terrorist attack is more likely to divide than unite us, as we saw after Benghazi, San Bernardino, Calif., and, most recently, Niger. This makes us an even more attractive target, as our enemies benefit not only from the initial attack but also from the lasting consequences of a more fractious, fragmented America.

President Trump’s National Security Strategy marks a dramatic departure from the plans of his Republican and Democratic predecessors, painting a dark, almost dystopian portrait of an “extraordinarily dangerous” world characterized by hostile states and lurking threats. There is scant mention of America’s unrivaled political, military, technological and economic strength, or the opportunities to expand prosperity, freedom and security through principled leadership — the foundation of American foreign policy since World War II.

The Belfer Center is pleased to welcome a number of high-ranking former officials who have joined the Center as Senior Fellows in the past few months. Each brings valuable experience and expertise in critical issues of concern to the Center that they share with students, faculty, and the larger community through their research, seminars, presentations, and various events.

Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs has named former U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations and National Security Advisor Susan E. Rice a non-resident Senior Fellow. In the Obama administration, Rice played a critical role in achieving the deal that prevented Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons, containing the Ebola crisis, sanctioning Russia for its violations in Ukraine, and defending democracy and human rights around the world. At the Belfer Center, Rice will apply her extensive experience to contribute to an array of foreign policy and national security issues.