Former CIA director William Burns: ‘Imitating autocrats is not a winning formula’

Financial Times: “This is an era in which we’re no longer the only big kid on the geopolitical block,” Burns says. “I would argue that we still have a better hand to play than any of our rivals. The question is how do we play it?”

One of the most significant cards in that hand, Burns says, is the US’s network of allies and partners around the world — something Trump has shown little regard for. “That network is what sets us apart from relatively lonelier powers like China and Russia, even though their partnership is becoming a more formidable one,” he adds…