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.

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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

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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: 9781501784859
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)
Age Range: 18 Years

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.

What People are Saying About This

Christopher S. Chivvis

Glaser's refreshing take on US statecraft toward China is sure to stir up a much-needed debate in Washington. A must read for national security wonks.

Eric Heginbotham

Glaser presents a strategy for Asia that flows from 'defensive realism.' The book's positions are important ones that should be prominently represented in the literature.

M. Taylor Fravel

Timely and terrific. Glaser offers a rigorous analysis of US policy toward China, examining the costs and benefits of options across grand strategy, political commitments, and the use of military power.

Stephen G. Brooks

An amazingly careful, thoughtful, well-written, and thorough analysis of the US presence in Asia.

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