Ideas for the Next President

Foreign Policy asked twelve of the "world's leading thinkers" to answer this question: What single policy or gesture can the next president of the United States make to improve America's standing in the world? As you'd expect, there are some interesting - but not new - ideas. However, they boil down to two: practice what you preach and talk to people.

If you can't read the article, here is a summary:

• Kenneth Rogoff, an economist, advocates a steep tax on coal, oil and natural gas.
• Reza Aslan, a writer, says cut out the religious rhetoric.
• Philip Stephens of the Financial Times wants Brazil, China, India, Mexico and South Africa to join the G-8.
• Jessica Matthews of the Carnegie Endowment says let's talk to Syria.
• Yang Jianli, a former prisoner in China, tells us to be consistent and practice what we preach.
• Newt Gingrich, ex-Speaker of the House, touts the value of listening.
• Kavita Ramdas, head of the Global Fund for Women, wants the next president to promote gender equality. She backs up the benefits of implementing the idea with facts.
• Nadine Gordimer, the novelist, feels that the embargo of Cuba should be dropped.
• Jorge Dominguez, vice provost at Harvard, says it's time to end our double standards.
• Dmitri Tenan of the Carnegie Moscow Center advises a trip to Tehran.
• Fouad Ajami of Johns Hopkins thinks things are just swell now. (Okay, they had to include one real extremist.)
• Desmond Tutu, bishop and Nobel Prize winner, advises that we should admit that we have made mistakes.