The next president needs green intelligence

The next US president needs to know the limits of American power and many different ways to build support worldwide, beyond military might.

That's the word from one of our nation's top thinkers on leadership.

"We have to think about power and leadership in a much broader way than we have in the past,'' Joseph Nye, former dean of Havard's Kennedy School of Government, told a weekend audience in Lexington.

Militarily, the United States is a dominating power, but is only one of several major players on the world's economic front, Nye said. In transnational issues, such as terrorism, immigration, or climate change, Washington has very little power, he said.

That's why, he argues, the nation's next president should be able to alternate and to combine several techniques, from hard power (basic command-and-control/bullying) to soft power (attracting others to your point of view). The next president ideally should know when to use one of several techniques, or a combination, for best results, he said.

Nye, a Lexington native and current North American chair of the Trilateral Commission, based much of his Cary Hall speech on his new book "The Powers To Lead,'' which is being published Tuesday. He took pains in his remarks not to advocate for either Barack Obama or John McCain, the two condenders with less than two months to make their case to the American people before the general election.

For another view at characteristics needed for our next president, check out Rob Weisman's article in Sunday's Boston Globe on experience vs. exuberance.

Readers, which do you think is better for effective leadership these days?