Think Big & Bold - Think Grand Vision: Embrace Sustainability as "America’s Grand Strategy?"

Does the United States of America have a "grand strategy" in this second decade of the 21st Century?  Henry Luce, publisher of Time magazine, famously labeled the 20th Century "the American Century," in recognition of the nation’s leadership in world affairs, military power, economic & financial power, cultural dominance, and more.  So what is the definition for this new century and what should the nation’s "grand strategy" be (in practical terms)?

The exploration of the questions and answered provided by a team of deep thinkers makes for a very fascinating story, and provides policy makers and all of us with a vision of where we might/should be going as the leader of the free world in an often very dangerous neighborhood (Planet Earth). 

The question was posed by then-chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen, who in 2009 was concerned that the USA did not have a grand vision for the future -- not only military, but also industrial, economic, political and more. His subordinates, US Marine Corps Colonel Mark "Puck" Mykleby and US Navy Captain Wayne Porter set out their thoughts in a document -- "The National Strategic Narrative."  S-l-o-w-l-y, the narrative made its way around the Pentagon and Washington power circles.  National public prominence came as such thought leaders as The New York Times columnist Tom Friedman voiced his favorable comments.

Of importance to you, our dear newsletter reader:  The #1 national strategic imperative for the 21st Century:  Sustainability!  Over many months the original team moved on and was joined by other powerful voices.  Three authors -- Colonel Mykleby (who with Patrick Doherty co-created Case Western University's Strategic Innovation Lab), and Joel Makower, CEO of Greenbiz, have a new book out that brings the powerful story of the narrative (and its content) to us:  "The New Grand Strategy: Restoring America’s Prosperity, Security and Sustainability in the 21st Century" -- published this month by St. Martin’s Press.

Notes GreenBiz in it our Top Story this week:  The book tells the story of a grand strategy, born within the Pentagon, to recapture America's greatness at home and abroad by elevating sustainability as a strategic imperative. It aligns America's enduring national interests of prosperity and security with a new framework that blurs the lines between domestic and foreign policy by addressing pressing economic, security, political, social and environmental issues at home, and looking at how those issues impact and connect with the global community.

This is just a sample of some of the articles from this weeks SustainabilityHQ Highlights. You can view the full Highlights by using the following links. Sustainability | ESG, Highlights for the Week of June 16, 2016