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American Leadership
The freedom and security of Americans depend on America’s global leadership. This product is part of the
American Leadership Initiative, one of 10 transformational initiatives in our Leadership for America campaign.
Defense Budget as a Percent of GDP
PERCENT OF GDP
40
35 34.5%
30
25
Korea
20 (1953) Vietnam Gulf
11.7% (1968) Build Up
War
15 9.8% (1986) 4.3%
(1991)
6.0% (2007)*
10 4.6%
deny visas to its officials. We should expose Iran’s human freedoms and human dignity, and a Global Freedom
rights abuses and support democracy activists, and we Coalition to advance global security.
should deploy robust missile defenses to convince Tehran
• Undertake Responsible Arms Control. Under a “pro-
that its nuclear weapons will not achieve their objectives.
tect and defend” strategy, the U.S. should work with
• Take a Tougher Stand on North Korea. We must lead Russia to safely reduce operationally deployed strategic
the effort to fully implement U.N. sanctions and prevent nuclear warheads; deploy missile defenses against stra-
North Korea from procuring or exporting any component tegic attack; negotiate bilateral treaties countering nucle-
of a weapon of mass destruction; freeze the assets of ar-armed terrorism; and secure a global stability treaty
any person, company, bank, or government complicit in emphasizing strategic defenses.
that activity; and enforce international laws against North
• Don’t Sign New START. The U.S. Senate should not
Korea’s illegal activities, including currency counterfeiting
ratify the New START treaty signed by Presidents Barack
and narcotics production and distribution.
Obama and Dmitry Medvedev. The treaty contains inad-
• Strengthen Alliances and Build New Coalitions equate verification; constrains the U.S. ability to develop
and Entities Around Shared Values. We must take the and deploy missile defenses; allows Russia to increase
lead and increase cooperation with like-minded its deployed strategic nuclear delivery systems while
nations to advance liberty in every form—e.g., a Global America is forced to cut; and while U.S. policy stops the
Economic Freedom Forum to advance free markets, a construction of new nuclear warheads, Russia and China
Liberty Forum for Human Rights to promote individual can move ahead with robust modernization efforts.
Solutions for America is a product of Heritage’s Leadership for America campaign. Our mission is to formulate and promote conservative public policies
based on the principles of free enterprise, limited government, individual freedom, traditional American values, and a strong national defense.