The US is the world's largest trading nation and spends more on defense than the next nine countries combined.

America's peace and prosperity depend on what happens overseas.

But despite its importance, foreign policy is mentioned less than other issues in the presidential campaign.

This is Let's Find Common Ground. I'm Ashley Melntite.

And I'm Richard Davies. In this election briefing episode, we look at America's role in the world with two highly experienced journalists.

Peter Ford and Howard LaFranchi.

Based in Paris, Peter is global affairs correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor.

Previously, he spent a decade as the paper's Beijing Bureau Chief.

Howard has been the monitor's diplomacy correspondent, based in Washington since 2001.

We look at the implications of President Trump's America First Policy and the US retreat from global institutions.

We reached Peter at his home in France and the audio quality was a bit wobbly.

First question to Peter Ford. How has America's role changed in the past three and a half years?

Well, I think it's changing a very deliberate way as President Trump wanted it to.

And rather than being a go-to country, or a man in all bright used to call the indispensable nation, America has just become another superpower.

And one interested, frankly, only in protecting the interests of its citizens and its own national interests.

And that has really pulled the rug out, frankly, from a lot of countries, especially America's traditional allies,

who are still finding their way around this new world and still trying to figure out what they can do without America,

and how they might go about doing it without angering America too much.

One example of that, Peter, is President Trump's refusal to work with the World Health Organization during the coronavirus pandemic,

has that weakened the global response?

Well, I think it has, I mean, quite apart from the financing, which is what President Trump threatened to pull.

But it's more than just a question of money. It's a question of leadership and commitment,

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