Talk bridges, not burrito bowls

The United States, like most advanced industrial countries, needs reform and restructuring. Regulations pile up and lobbies fight hard to keep benefits for established players. Meanwhile, there are no special interests for the industries of the future. The tax code is a corrupt mess. But is this the greatest and most urgent problem facing the United States today?

When you compare America with the rest of the world, it does not seem to be hobbled by inefficiencies. In the World Economic Forum's latest Global Competitiveness Report, the United States ranks third - and the countries before it, Switzerland and Singapore, are tiny. This is why America has outperformed almost every other advanced economy since the global crisis of 2008.

On almost all global issues, Britain has a voice that is intelligent, engaged and forward-looking. It wants to strengthen and uphold today's international system - one based on the free flow of ideas, goods and services around the world, one that promotes individual rights and the rule of law.

Read the Washington Post column