The reason is that US leadership and credibility appear to be at risk indefinitely and it is inevitable that both will likely suffer when US policies of indispensability reach their practical limits of power . In the next section of Carpenter's argument, he discusses the United States' failure to recognize different forms of engagement options. The most constructive alternative to the current indispensable policy is the consortium model of regional actors that sees the United States acting as “first among equals” (p. 24) allowing the United States to offload security responsibilities and adopt a more detached. His role would bring minimal benefit to the United States