i worked with him for years at the nsc and we are very lucky to have him here at cfr. the video laid out much of what the initiative is about and i thought i would take a couple of minutes this morning to give broader rationale behind the initiative before introducing our keynote speaker. we are collectively witnessing a remarkable period in world history. 80 years ago the u.s. led an effort to create an international system built on democracy, liberalism and market-based economics accompanied by the advent of technology that spurred on global innovation. now all elements are being questioned. democracy at risk. liberalism is under siege with the rise of authoritarianism. globalization is subject to scrutiny and criticism. this reflects a challenge to u.s. leadership or at least how the leadership has been exercised in the last 80 years. today we are talking about economic will leadership, reimagining american economic leadership but there is an assumption that american leadership matters to the world and to americans and we should pressure test that assumption. some a