Zócalo Public Square

Despite proclamations of a flat world, the utility of soft power, or the start of the post-American era, power still matters. It’s still about carrots and sticks, and the U.S. still has it. Washington has wisely used its power at critical moments over the last 50 years to preserve American and global security, and the U.S. today remains an indispensable leader because it alone can galvanize coalitions to solve major international problems. President Emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations Leslie H. Gelb, also a former New York Times correspondent and author of Power Rules, visits Zócalo to explain how American power works, and how it should be used in a tumultuous world.