America's Grand Strategy and World Politics

by Robert Art

Overview

This book brings together the essays of Robert Art, one of America's leading scholars of international relations and US foreign policy.

The essays represent some of his most important and influential international relations and foreign policy pieces written since the end of the Cold War. Focused on the theme of American grand strategy, the essays cover such topics as:

• the use of force
• coercive diplomacy
• nuclear deterrence
• defence policy
• the role of NATO
• US-European relations.

The essays in this collection possess both theoretical depth and historical breadth, providing a coherent assessment of the role that American military power plays in international politics. It includes a new introduction that provides an overview of American grand strategy and an original afterword in which the author reflects on the future of grand strategy in the post-9/11 world.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780415952347
Publisher:	Taylor & Francis
Publication date:	12/15/2008
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	408
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Robert J. Art is the Christian A. Herter Professor of International Relations at Brandeis University. He is also a Senior Fellow of the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and director of MIT's Seminar XXI program.

Table of Contents

Introduction  Part 1: Force and Foreign Policy  1. American Foreign Policy and the Fungibility of Force  2. The United States and Coercive Diplomacy (Co-authored with Patrick M. Cronin)  Part 2: World War II and the Cold War  3. The United States, the Balance of Power, and World War II: Was Spykman Right?  4. To What Ends Military Power?  5. The United States: Nuclear Weapons and Grand Strategy  Part 3: Selective Engagement  6. A Defensible Defense: America's Grand Strategy after the Cold War  7. Geopolitics Updated: The Strategy of Selective Engagement  Part 4: Europe, China, and the Future  8. Why Western Europe Needs the United States and NATO  9. Europe Hedges Its Security Bets  10. The United States and the Rise of China: Implications for the Long Haul  11. Looking Ahead – Near Term and Far

Editorial Reviews

"Praise for Robert Art's previous work. "A brilliant distillation and synthesis of some of the best contemporary scholarship on American grand strategy...[Art]offers a clear exposition of U.S. national interests and how to defend them." -- Walter Russell Mead,Foreign Affairs
"Robert Art writes about American grand strategy in the tradition of Walter Lippmann and George Kennan." -- John Mearshimer

"Bob Art is a leading student of American foreign policy, and this collection brings together pieces of theoretical importance and contemporary relevance. They are indispensable for understanding world politics and American security."

-Robert Jervis, Adlai E. Stevenson Professor of International Politics, Columbia University

"These essays confirm Robert Art's standing as one of our most knowledgeable and insightful students of American foreign and military policy. They are conceptually rich, extensively researched, and consistently fair-minded. Art's writing is a model of clarity, and his reasoning is clear-eyed and incisive. This collection is an exemplar of what reasoned discourse about strategy can be, and it points the way to a smarter and more successful foreign policy."
--Stephen M. Walt, John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University

"As America grapples with its grand strategic choices after the George W. Bush presidency, it needs a strong dose of Robert Art. The essays in this volume show a grand master of the analysis of U.S. grand strategy at work. They address core theoretical issues in grand strategy, assess them in engaging historical cases, and apply them to key contemporary policy questions. The compilation is a must-read for those who wish to engage in one of the great debates of our time, and will be welcomed by teachers and students of U.S. foreign policy and grand strategy."  

--William C. Wohlforth, Daniel Webster Professor and Chair, Dartmouth College

"America’s Grand Strategy in World Politics is a very strong work, and it is recommended for those readers wishing to engage seriously with the “big questions” in U.S. strategy and foreign policy."

--Comparative Strategy, 29, Oct 2010, p382

From the Publisher

A brilliant distillation and synthesis of some of the best contemporary scholarship on American grand strategy...[Art]offers a clear exposition of U.S. national interests and how to defend them.

Foreign Affairs