In the shifting global and economic environment, business executives and government officials navigate an increasingly overlapping landscape of interest groups, stakeholders, regulations, and partnerships. Richard Haass, president of the Council on Foreign Relations, speaks about these blurring lines between government and the private sector, and how businesses can leverage the tools of their public-sector counterparts to move forward in the “new normal.” Rik Kirkland, McKinsey’s director of publishing, conducted the video interview in St. Michaels, Maryland, in April 2009.

Watch the video, or read the transcript below.

The Quarterly: Is this one of those break points in history where we’re really entering a new era? As a student of history and of policy making, how do you see this—particularly as applies to the role and relationship between...