F e b rua ry 1 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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