WPI logoIntelligence ReportAnalysis by Josh RoginMay 8, 2026 | Global SecurityInside the McCain Institute Sedona ForumThe McCain Institute, named after Arizona Senator John McCain, held its annual forum in Sedona, Arizona from May 1 to 2, 2026. (Carolyn Kaster / AP)Key TakeawaysAt the annual McCain Institute Sedona Forum in Arizona last week, lawmakers from both sides of the aisle, U.S. officials, foreign dignitaries, aid practitioners, experts and journalists convened to examine how a values-based foreign policy can apply to the current volatile international environment.The forum occurred as, meanwhile in Washington, what was once bipartisan U.S. foreign policy based on both American interests and values has given way to Trump’s chaotic, transactional and mostly unilateral approach. But support for America’s traditional role in the world as both a military and moral leader still lives on in both parties.The discussions centered on how America can navigate a world challenged by ongoing wars, a breakdown of the international order, the rise of authoritarian governments and the breakneck speed of often-destabilizing technological innovation.The consensus was that U.S. leadership in the security, economic and ideological struggles is still sorely needed. The question is whether America’s current perceived retreat from that leadership will continue beyond the current administration.Intro: Challenges to U.S. dominance aboundAmerica’s role is shifting in a world beset by increasing military conflict, economic competition and the breakdown of the liberal international order. The theme of the 2026 McCain Institute Sedona Forum was “Challenges to American Dominance,” referencing the rise of peer competitors such as China, threats to American allies, and ongoing military conflicts in Ukraine and the Middle East. The attendees who convened in Sedona were diverse but self-selecting: Almost all came to the conversation with a belief in an assertive U.S. foreign policy that champions universal values including freedom, democracy and human rights — as did the namesake of the institute, senator John McCain, who passed away in 2018.“The survival of the West is not just a material struggle. It is now and has always been a moral struggle,” McCain was quoted as saying in the conference’s opening presentation, using a clip from his 2017 address to the Munich Security Conference.The attendees included Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona), Ruben Gallego (D-Arizona), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-Rhode Island) and Peter Welch (D-Vermont). Members of Congress in attendance included Rep. Michael Lawler (R-New York) and Rep. Craig Goldman (R-Texas), both of whom once worked as congressional staffers for McCain. The institute is chaired by Cindy McCain, who until recently was executive director of the World Food Program, and led by Executive Director Evelyn Farkas,...