Retrench, Defend, Compete: Securing America's Future Against a Rising China
Charles L. Glaser presents in Retrench, Defend, Compete a provocative strategy for securing vital US interests in the face of China's rise.

Contrary to common fears, China's rise should not drive the US and China to war—geography and nuclear arsenals should allow the US to remain highly secure. Yet as Glaser contends, the real danger lies in Washington's position toward regional disputes in East Asia, especially over Taiwan. To reduce the risk of war, Glaser makes a bold case for ending the US security commitment to Taiwan and carefully calibrating its policies on protecting maritime features in the South China Sea. At the same time, the US should strengthen its alliances with Japan and South Korea and eliminate unnecessarily provocative nuclear and conventional weapons policies. These measures, Glaser argues, would defuse China's biggest security concerns while preserving America's core strategic interests.

Fusing insights from international relations theory with clear-eyed policy analysis, Retrench, Defend, Compete lays out a distinctive and compelling approach for managing the world's most consequential geopolitical rivalry—before it's too late.

1147228652
Retrench, Defend, Compete: Securing America's Future Against a Rising China
Charles L. Glaser presents in Retrench, Defend, Compete a provocative strategy for securing vital US interests in the face of China's rise.

Contrary to common fears, China's rise should not drive the US and China to war—geography and nuclear arsenals should allow the US to remain highly secure. Yet as Glaser contends, the real danger lies in Washington's position toward regional disputes in East Asia, especially over Taiwan. To reduce the risk of war, Glaser makes a bold case for ending the US security commitment to Taiwan and carefully calibrating its policies on protecting maritime features in the South China Sea. At the same time, the US should strengthen its alliances with Japan and South Korea and eliminate unnecessarily provocative nuclear and conventional weapons policies. These measures, Glaser argues, would defuse China's biggest security concerns while preserving America's core strategic interests.

Fusing insights from international relations theory with clear-eyed policy analysis, Retrench, Defend, Compete lays out a distinctive and compelling approach for managing the world's most consequential geopolitical rivalry—before it's too late.

130.0 Pre Order
Retrench, Defend, Compete: Securing America's Future Against a Rising China

Retrench, Defend, Compete: Securing America's Future Against a Rising China

by Charles L. Glaser
Retrench, Defend, Compete: Securing America's Future Against a Rising China

Retrench, Defend, Compete: Securing America's Future Against a Rising China

by Charles L. Glaser

Hardcover

$130.00 
  • SHIP THIS ITEM
    Available for Pre-Order. This item will be released on December 15, 2025

Related collections and offers


Overview

Charles L. Glaser presents in Retrench, Defend, Compete a provocative strategy for securing vital US interests in the face of China's rise.

Contrary to common fears, China's rise should not drive the US and China to war—geography and nuclear arsenals should allow the US to remain highly secure. Yet as Glaser contends, the real danger lies in Washington's position toward regional disputes in East Asia, especially over Taiwan. To reduce the risk of war, Glaser makes a bold case for ending the US security commitment to Taiwan and carefully calibrating its policies on protecting maritime features in the South China Sea. At the same time, the US should strengthen its alliances with Japan and South Korea and eliminate unnecessarily provocative nuclear and conventional weapons policies. These measures, Glaser argues, would defuse China's biggest security concerns while preserving America's core strategic interests.

Fusing insights from international relations theory with clear-eyed policy analysis, Retrench, Defend, Compete lays out a distinctive and compelling approach for managing the world's most consequential geopolitical rivalry—before it's too late.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9781501784842
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Publication date: 12/15/2025
Series: Cornell Studies in Security Affairs
Pages: 336
Product dimensions: 6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

About the Author

Charles L. Glaser is a Senior Fellow in the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University.

From the B&N Reads Blog

Customer Reviews