Retired Col. Lawrence B. Wilkerson, who was former Secretary of State Colin Powell’s chief of staff from 2002 to 2005, currently teaches at the College of William & Mary. He shared his recommendations for the next U.S. president with foreign-affairs columnist John C. Bersia.

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Question: If you were briefing the next president, where would you start?

Answer: At the outset, I would say, get the U.S. economic house in order. Debt has placed us in an untenable situation. We have so many challenges, including entitlements such as Social Security and Medicare, that are unsustainable. We also have got huge expenditures for defense and national security which, if added up, exceed $1 trillion a year. That is unsustainable, too, unless we do things differently, which could mean anything from conscription to a war tax.

Q: How would you address strains in U.S. global relations?

A: I would say you need to talk to and consult with our allies on a very frequent basis, not an infrequent one. We may see ourselves as first among equals, but we need to remember that we are among equals. We should have a dialogue of people who are concerned about global and regional responsibilities. In addition, you have got to deal with your enemies – North Korea, Iran and so forth – which means sitting down with them, talking and negotiating.

Q: And when negotiating fails?

A: You should signal that the only way you are going to turn to the military will be if there is a direct threat to the American people. Moreover, the situation must be clearly discernable without your having to tell them so, and it must be evident you have exhausted everything else in your kit bag. Related to this is the need to quit militarizing U.S. foreign policy. Do not let your “senior diplomat” in every part of the world be a Navy, Marine or Army general. This is not right.

Q: What else?

A: You must return to the rule of law, the U.S. Constitution, those things that are the very fabric of the American republic. You cannot be a violator of the law; your role is to be an enforcer or executor of the law. You must adhere as much to the Constitution as anyone else in the country. America was once the paragon of this concept in the world. She no longer is, and this is because of our current leadership.

Q: Are we doing a good job anywhere in our foreign relations?

A: It is hard for me to identify any relationship today that is where it should be. One of the measures of effectiveness is how a country’s people feel about us. It would be hard for me to find one that is close to or where it should be. That said, we have good and improving relations with countries where there had been strains some years ago, Germany and France, for example. I would like to say the same thing about our principal ally in the Asia-Pacific region, Japan, but I cannot.

Q: Why do you say that?

A: Because this administration is virtually ignoring Japan. Relations have deteriorated with Tokyo ever since Powell and former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage left the State Department. A Japanese diplomat in Washington remarked to me recently that it was possible to see Powell or Armitage most any time, but now it is difficult to manage to have phone calls returned.

Q: How do you explain such behavior?

A: It may be that the Europeanists are taking the lead, and I direct that criticism at Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and her staff. They do not seem to be that interested in Asia, figuring that it generally can take care of itself. Probably the bigger reason is that Iraq, Afghanistan and Iran are sucking all the energy out of every corridor of power in Washington. There is no time left, no juice, and they are sort of on automatic pilot.

Readers may write to Col. Lawrence B. Wilkerson at lbwilk@wm.edu.