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.
Introduction
PART I: FORCE AND FOREIGN POLICY
1. American Foreign Policy and the Fungibility of Force
2. The United States and Coercive Diplomacy
PART II: HISTORICAL CONTOURS
3. The United States, the Balance of Power, and World War II
4. Nuclear Weapons in America’s Cold War Grand Strategy
PART III: CONTEMPORARY ISSUES
5. A Defensible Defense: America's Grand Strategy After the Cold War
6. Why Western Europe Needs the United States and NATO
7. The Strategy of Selective Engagement
8. Europe Hedges Its Security Bets
9. The United States and the Rise of China: Implications for the Long Haul
10. Conclusion: The Future of America’s Grand Strategy
Biography
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.
"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
