Owen Whaley ‘24 
Features Editor 

In a lecture at Holy Cross, Tim Morrison, a senior fellow at the Hudson Institute and former advisor to President Donald J. Trump, called for the United States to counter surging authoritarianism through a comprehensive grand strategy. The event, which drew over one hundred attendees, was hosted by the Alexander Hamilton Society.  

“In an era of intense great power competition, a strategic assessment of how the U.S. should approach tensions with China and Russia could not be more timely,” chapter President Kaitlyn Romaine ‘22 told me. “Morrison’s experience and expertise made him the perfect person to hear from about U.S. grand strategy.”  

In recent years, Russia has rejected efforts to improve relations with the United States and has worked to undermine the West. Morrison argued that U.S. strategy towards Russia should revolve around preventing Putin from driving a wedge between Western powers. Morrison expressed concerns over the potential for competition with China to swell into conflict. He envisioned an economic partnership with countries like Mexico, Canada, Britain, Australia, South Korea, and New Zealand to counter the concerns about the Chinese government, which would build the freest and most productive trade bloc in the world.  

Morrison touched on threats to international peace and security throughout his lecture, from the nuclear arms buildup in China to the potential for Arctic competition to escalate into conflict. “Sometimes we forget to look at the structural issues causing conflicts between nations and the best way to either resolve, or proceed, with them,” Romaine said. “I hope this discussion reminded members that we occasionally need to take a step back and consider how the U.S. should move forward in the grand scheme of things.” 

Some were skeptical of Morrison’s worldview. “Morrison said that the United States has an advantage over China because we have a powerful network of allies, whereas China has a few,” Ariana Zandi ‘23 told me. “I would push back on this point and not underestimate the power of Chinese anti-imperialist rhetoric.”  

Still, Zandi appreciated the opportunity to examine a different approach to international relations. “The conversation left me feeling excited to learn more,” she said. “It’s always great to learn more about U.S. foreign policy from another perspective.”  

Students interested in joining the Alexander Hamilton Society are encouraged to email alexanderhamiltonsociety@g.holycross.edu. Meetings are held every other Wednesday and speaker events are held twice each semester.