--- title: The In-Box of the Next Commander-in-Chief description: 'Absent wise American leadership, the world will crash' canonical: https://time.com/4254659/next-commander-in-chief/ author: TIME article:opinion: true article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-03-11T14:55:00.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-08-04T07:56:05.222Z article:section: Ideas og:title: The In-Box of the Next Commander-in-Chief og:description: 'Absent wise American leadership, the world will crash' og:url: https://time.com/4254659/next-commander-in-chief/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3d20416a9a20a09/69888a97e20a8741b5a8fec7/oval-office.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 594 og:image:height: 334 og:image:alt: The desk of U.S. President Barack Obama sits in the newly redecorated Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., in August 31, 2010. og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: The In-Box of the Next Commander-in-Chief twitter:description: 'Absent wise American leadership, the world will crash' twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blte3d20416a9a20a09/69888a97e20a8741b5a8fec7/oval-office.jpg?branch=production&width=594&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # The In-Box of the Next Commander-in-Chief > Sponsored content. 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A paid TIME subscription is separate and available at time.com/subscribe-agent. ### Sources * TIME Newsletters: [time.com/newsletters](/c/time-nl-inside-2026q3/newsletters?i=dd41055f-c6f2-4a8c-829e-d24d8dc91148&cr=time-nl-inside-2026q3-v1) ## Video: CNN Republican Debate: Watch The Republican Debate In Under Four Minutes [Watch (HLS stream): CNN Republican Debate: Watch The Republican Debate In Under Four Minutes](https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/uVpZQXdg.m3u8) (3:55)  _Published 2016-03-11_  by [Richard N. Haass](https://time.com/author/richard-n-haass/)  ## Richard N. Haass Mar 11, 2016 2:55 PM UTC  The desk of U.S. President Barack Obama sits in the newly redecorated Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., in August 31, 2010. The desk of U.S. President Barack Obama sits in the newly redecorated Oval Office of the White House in Washington, D.C., in August 31, 2010. Getty Images  by [Richard N. Haass](https://time.com/author/richard-n-haass/)  ## Richard N. Haass Mar 11, 2016 2:55 PM UTC American presidents get to make lots of choices, with one critical exception: what awaits them in the in-box on top of the desk in the Oval Office. This is a sobering thought. In addition to all the domestic economic, social and political challenges this country faces, there are harsh global realities. The Middle East is unraveling. Four countries—Syria, Libya, Iraq and Yemen—are in various stages of failure with ISIS, and other terrorist groups are the principal beneficiaries. Europe is staggering under the weight of massive refugee flows, prolonged low economic growth, a wave of populism and the revival of a Russian geopolitical threat. Asia is strained by economic slowdown and [the rise of China](http://www.cfr.org/campaign2016/#/china?cid=otr-Time-Hass%5Foped-03072016). Ours is a world in disarray. Meanwhile, there is no global consensus on what rules ought to govern cyberspace. World trade talks have hit a wall. Negotiations on climate change appear to be going better, but this is more appearance than substance as the recent Paris summit ended with little more than non-binding national pledges. You would hardly know any of this from the presidential race in both parties. The gap between the level of debate and the level of difficulty of what awaits the victor is breathtaking. This needs to change, as the next president will face an array of tough decisions that will shape the world. Moreover, globalization is a reality, and what happens elsewhere will in turn affect the state of the United States. Here is just a sample of the choices that will come before the 45th president. Should the United States send ground forces to the Middle East and, if so, how many with what mission? What is the right balance between collective security and individual privacy? How do we push back against Russia and China without triggering a new Cold War? How do we convince Iran’s neighbors not to develop nuclear weapons as a hedge against what Iran might do down the road? What do we do if Venezuela implodes? How should we react if North Korea achieves the capacity to put nuclear warheads on missiles that can reach the continental United States? What can and should be done to rebuild confidence that the word of the American president is to be taken as gospel? I could go on—and on. It is hard not to be impressed by the sheer number and range of issues in play. It is also hard not to be impressed by their complexity. The stakes are enormous. As was learned the hard way from the current president and his predecessor, what the United States does and chooses not to do has far-reaching impact. The United States is not just another country. It has more capacity and potential to influence the world than any other country—and no other country has the resources and mindset to lead a world that is not on autopilot. To the contrary, absent wise American leadership, the world will crash. Anyone doubting this need only consider the Middle East. It is in the interest of Americans to find out what those wanting to be president think about [a wide range of challenges](http://www.cfr.org/campaign2016?cid=otr-Time%5Fcom-Haass%5Foped-03072016) and what they might do about them. We should want to get their take on the wisdom of past decisions, what they agree and disagree with and why. We also should want to get a sense of how they make decisions and their judgment, as the next commander-in-chief will face choices we cannot even imagine. All of which brings me back to the in-box. A good friend of mine when he was a professor kept not just the customary in and out boxes on his desk but a third. This extra box simply read “Too Hard.” It was usually filled with papers involving decisions that were close calls. Not surprisingly, the “Too Hard” pile tended to be high. A professor can get away with this. But the next president cannot. Difficult choices, unlike red wine, rarely improve with age. Americans should keep this in mind as they select the next occupant of the Oval Office. ## Transcript We want to have free trade but fair trade. If all we do is sell things to each other, we can only sell to 5 % of the people on earth. We're driving jobs overseas. But we clearly have to control our borders. We can't have people just walking in. Right now we're bringing in far too many low skilled workers. What that is doing is driving down The wages of hard working Americans. Anyone who tells you that social security can stay the way it is, is lying. 83 % of the federal budget in less than five years will all be spent on Medicare, Medicaid, the interest on the debt. I want to make America great again and I want to leave Social Security. As is. Hillary Clinton says she'll cut waste fraud and abuse if only we had smarter people in Washington that would fix the problem. You know what, that is the statement of a liberal who doesn; t understand government is the problem. Now there are more 18 year olds who believe they have a better chance of seeing a UFO than a social security check. We're all in this together We're gonna come up with solutions, we're gonna find the answers to things and so far I cannot believe how civil it's been up here. I am different in one primary respect and that's trade. And the effect of a 45 % tariff would be when you go the store, when you go to Walmart, when you're shopping for your kids, the prices you pay. Go up 45 %. The 45 % tax is a threat. I was not a tax it was a threat. You are paying the tax. It's not China that pays the tax. We'll build our factories here and we'll make our own products. And that's the way it should be done. Last night you told CNN " Islam hates us ." Did you mean all 1. 6 billion Muslims? I mean a lot of them. I know that a lot of people find appeal in the things Donald says cuz he says what people wish they could say. The problem is presidents can't just say anything they want. The people who represent radical Islam, they want to destroy everything that we're about and other Muslims who don't share their view. They have no laws, they have no rules, they have no regulation. And they chop off heads. They drown 40, 50, 60 people at a time. And we're working on a different set of parameters. If we capture any of these terrorists alive, they're not gonna have the right to remain silent. And they're not gonna go to a courtroom in Manhattan, they're gonna go to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and we will find out everything they know, [ APPLAUSE ] And we'll do so legally. [ APPLAUSE ] There's nobody on this stage that's more pro- Israeli than I am. The policy Donald is outlined, I don't know if he realizes is an anti- Israeli policy. There is no peace deal possible with the Palestinians at this moment. There just isn't. I would love for a relationship between Cuba and the United States to change, but it will require Cuba to change at least its government. I don't agree with President Obama. I do agree that something should be Should take place after 50 years it's enough time folks. And you know what passing those laws what impact it would have on the environment? Zero. Because China is still gonna be polluting. And India is still gonna be polluting. You can have a strong environmental Policy at the same time that you have strong economic growth. They are not inconsistent with one another. There is some anger. There's also great love for the country. It's a beautiful thing in many respects, but I certainly do not condone that at all, Jake. There are people out there who are worried about their jobs. You can either pray on that and be negative about it, or you can tell people That these things can be fixed. I think I'm gonna have the delegates, okay? I think. [ APPLAUSE ] Let's see what happens. If we nominate Donald Trump, Hillary wins. That's what an incredible nation we have. That the son of a bartender, and the son of a mailman and the son of a dishwasher and a successful businessman can all stand on this stage competing. Sometimes being positive isn't all that interesting, but it's very interesting to my family and my children and so many supporters that I meet all across the country. We will do whatever it takes to ensure that our children inherit from us what we inherited from our parents. Embrace these millions of people that now, for the first time ever, love The Republican Party and unify. Be smart and unify. 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