Introduction

Perceptions matter. When Washington acts—whether to bolster an ally, eliminate a safe haven, or
remove a terrorist leader or dictator—the stakes are high. The fruits of success or pains of failure
are not limited to a single policy objective. With the United States, there is always a demonstration
effect, a global reverberation that shapes views of American power abroad. This phenomenon
is not limited to U.S. engagement overseas. Other nations watch U.S. domestic politics almost as
closely as they watch their own.

The rest of the world knows that the United States is entering a period of intense fiscal pressure.
Even defense spending has entered a period of greater scrutiny. As Secretary of Defense Robert
Gates remarked in Abilene, Kansas, in 2010, “the gusher has been turned off,” not to be turned
on again for some time.1 U.S. technological leadership may be assured for the near future, but
there is an increasing feeling that the scientific foundation critical to U.S. economic and national
security is eroding at a time when that of other nations is gaining strength.