What Next for the U.S.? What Next for America in the World?

When Salzburg Global hosted its first session in 1947, our founders hoped that the free exchange of ideas, the ability to challenge and question the structures of power, and the practice of democratic principles in the post-war rebuilding process could support efforts to create a sustainable and lasting peace in post-WWII Europe.

For decades, this idea of Salzburg Global as a “A Marshall Plan of the Mind,” reflected a core belief in the power and importance not only of democracy and the rule of law, but in the system of transatlantic cooperation and transatlantic alliances that supported it. Today, 78 years later, this international system and many of the democracies that built and sustained it, including in the United States, are changing. These challenges may be as consequential as the context from which organizations like Salzburg Global – and our current international system – emerged.

As the United States, and the world, have entered a new reality, this year’s Salzburg Global American Studies Program convened a high-level group of people from the United States and further afield for a forward-looking conversation to assess what these developments mean for the future of democracy in America and the United States’ democratic alliances, and what these changes mean for the future of the international system.

The program was intended to be a forward-looking, forthright, and substantive dialogue, featuring divergent and non-standard views, as well as the views of next generation leaders. We wanted to look over the horizon beyond the current debates to have forthright conversations. The program was off-the-record and held under the Chatham House rule, at Salzburg Global’s home, Schloss Leopoldskron, in Salzburg, Austria.

Date

Sep 17 - Sep 20, 2025

Session no.

S903-01

Contact

Charles Ehrlich

Director, Peace and Justice

Antonio Riolino

Senior Program Manager

Content overview

Program info Participants Staff

Program info

Key Questions

As we look out over the horizon, where is the United States positioned in the global order in the next 10 years? What are conceivable outcomes, and, once they settle, how can they reach a point of international stability?
What will be the key domestic issues within the United States in the next 10 years (and beyond)? What are the cleavages in society and how might they be resolved?
Taking into account the global influence of American culture, what influence do domestic developments within the United States have on countries and people around the world?
How do global perceptions of the United States in turn influence Americans, if at all?
What expectations do young people – living both inside the United States and around the world – have for the role of the United States as a global actor or cultural influencer in the future?

Program Format and Participant Profile

The program engaged an international group of approximately 30 researchers, journalists, political scientists, policymakers, and historians.

The highly-participatory format had mix curated conversations with distinguished guests, knowledge exchange, practical group workshops, and informal interactions on topical issues to maximize interaction among participants. This format provided multiple opportunities for all participants to share their knowledge and expertise on equal terms.

The program was a forward-looking, forthright, and substantive dialogue, featuring divergent and non-standard views, as well as the views of established and next generation leaders. The program was off-the-record and held under the Chatham House Rule.