We hear a lot about the need for a pro-growth economic agenda. However, we need a pro-growth foreign policy agenda, too.

Of course, this means supporting the power and influence of actors who support growth, and reducing the power of influence of countries that oppose it.

Specific suggestions? We need to be pro-India and pro-China, because it is only these new core economies that can both spend and save enough to help America in our burden of leading the global economy. A pro-China/pro-India foreign policy will kill the Joint Strike Fighter. The JSF channels our relationship with other great powers into conflict, instead of growth.

Likewise, a foreign policy that moves against energy monopolists will support batteries, corn-based ethanol, wind and solar, and port facilities for biodiesel transshipment. Countries like Russia use the world’s dependence on fossil fuels to retard integration into the world system, roll back economic reforms, and generally cause misery.

Of course, we will also need to thread the needle. Bush’s protection of Iran from Israeli strikes should naturally led to Obama’s work in integrating Iran into the world system. I use Iran as an example: already close to India and China, naturally suspicious of Russia, and able to help us achieve our goals in Afghanistan and Iraq.

We need to work closer with countries like India and China, minimize the influence of bad actors like Russia, and work with marginal countries like Iran to improve their regimes.

We can do it. Yes we can.