U.S. global leadership through Buddhist and Christian ethics

Problem Statement The era of American, even “Western,” hegemony is over (Kristensen 550). In the post-colonial global landscape, power is being more equally distributed among the diverse peoples of the world. Yet in spite of its having lost a considerable degree of credibility, there is nevertheless room, and also ethical imperative, for the United States to remain a global leader. That leadership needs to be shared among peers, yet the confluence of values and goals means that a universal ethical framework is possible for the twenty-first century. Sanger and Perlez refer to the “a vacuum of global leadership” that has resulted from both Brexit and Trump (1). That may be the case, but conscientious leaders with a spiritual worldview can also fill the vacuum. The United States and its diverse population continues to be at the forefront of global leadership because of the ability to synthesize and harmonize values culled from a number of traditional and new ethical frameworks. Both Christianity and Buddhism offer ethical guidelines for pragmatic success in the arena of global leadership. One of the guiding principles of Buddhism is compassion, an open-heartedness that is beyond even love (Haseo 1). By awakening to the Buddha\\\'s mind of great compassion, each person becomes a bodhisattva, someone capable of creating and implementing enlightened policy decisions grounded in compassion. Likewise, awakening to the true self—the enlightened self—Americans can let go of values, principles, and policies that are based on self-interest alone. These types of policies are based on ignorance and fear, not on promoting the betterment of humanity. Similarly, the New Testament offers insight into cultivating the true self. Human beings can never fulfill a genuine moral purpose by following an empty Law, which Paul tried to inculcate throughout his ministry. In fact, Paul says the law leads to death, such as in Romans 7:50 and Galatians 3:10. The Book of Matthew also offers instruction on how to transform doubt and humility into the resurrection of the true self in each person. In his desert temptations, the devil asks Jesus again and again “If you are the Son of God...” initiating what the Buddhists would call enlightenment. Thus, the Christian Bible reveals the value of humility and sacrifice in cultivating the mental and emotional outlook needed for compassion to arise. Together, the Christian and Buddhist ethos can be used to underwrite political documents and public policy. This research will explore exactly how this can be done, with the goal of helping policymakers create more effective American foreign and domestic policies. Research Question How can the United States reframe its identity, its mission, and its goals for foreign and domestic policy by integrating teachings from both Buddhism and Christianity? Methodology The research will begin with a thorough review of literature and conclude with a list of concrete suggestions for policymakers.