Well…it has been really quite comical seeing the repub candidates try to one-up each other on the toughness of their proposed foreign policy…to hear them talk there will be no nuance or discussion with either our friends or enemies and under the repubs foreign policy will be reduced to one mantra “shoot first and ask questions later”. But, the reasons why are so varied and include the rise of other powers in the world both economically and militarily. I did read an article in the Washington Post today by Fareed Zakaria that does a much better job than I can in explaining these changes…here’s the link….http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/the-post-american-world-demands-a-new-approach-from-the-us/2012/02/01/gIQAba5ziQ_story.html?hpid=z3