National secur it y

I.  INTROdUCTION

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Fourth, a struggle for power is underway among and within many states of the Middle East and North 

Africa. This is a generational struggle in the aftermath of the 2003 Iraq war and 2011 Arab uprisings, 

which will redefine the region as well as relationships among communities and between citizens and 

their governments. This process will continue to be combustible, especially in societies where religious 

extremists take root, or rulers reject democratic reforms, exploit their economies, and crush civil society. 

Fifth, the global energy market has changed dramatically. The United States is now the world’s largest 

natural gas and oil producer. Our dependence on foreign oil is at a 20-year low—and declining—and we 

are leading a new clean energy economy. While production in the Middle East and elsewhere remains 

vitally important for the global market, increased U.S. production is helping keep markets well-supplied 

and prices conducive to economic growth. On the other hand, energy security concerns have been 

exacerbated by European dependence on Russian natural gas and the willingness of Russia to use energy 

for political ends. At the same time, developing countries now consume more energy than developed 

ones, which is altering energy flows and changing consumer relationships.

Today’s strategic environment is fluid. Just as the United States helped shape the course of events in 

the last century, so must we influence their trajectory today by evolving the way we exercise American 

leadership. This strategy outlines priorities based on a realistic assessment of the risks to our enduring 

national interests and the opportunities for advancing them. This strategy eschews orienting our entire 

foreign policy around a single threat or region. It establishes instead a diversified and balanced set of 

priorities appropriate for the world’s leading global power with interests in every part of an increasingly 

interconnected world. 

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