Walter Russell Mead - Things fall apart

I sit in one of the dives
On Fifty-second Street
Uncertain and afraid
As the clever hopes expire
Of a low dishonest decade: 

WH Auden:  September 1, 1939

Mr. Mead surveys the world and finds no leadership.  He is deeply pessimistic, far more than me.  But he does make one important point:

To do that, we must first of all take care of ourselves — and at that basic task we have signally failed.  Beyond that, we must gain a clear sight of our interests abroad, understand how those foreign and in some cases global interests relate to the core foundations of our prosperity and security at home, and then use what leverage we can to work with others to build a world system that works for us and our friends.

Indeed.