Rising Titans, Falling Giants

The United States attempted to prop up the United Kingdom's great-power status after World War II but sought to weaken the Soviet Union as it crumbled in the 1980s. In this book, Shifrinson provides an elegant theory to explain these variations. * Foreign Affairs * Joshua R. Itzkowitz Shifrinson's important book on Great Powers is a valuable contribution to research on the behaviour of the world's most important actors. Shifrinson has written an eminently readable book. His theory is elegant, his case-studies are well argued and his analysis is both clear and nimble. Most important, however, he is setting new standards for qualitative research * International Affairs * Shifrinson asks a great question, collects the best explanations, tests them fairly against the best evidence, and follows the evidence to its logical conclusion. He says things that are new, true, and nontrivial and has produced a book that is both timely and timeless. Long may titans and giants read it. * Aether, Air University *

Joshua R. Itzkowitz Shifrinson is Assistant Professor of International Relations at the Pardee School of Boston University. He has published in International Security, Foreign Affairs, the Washington Quarterly, and other venues.

Acknowledgments Introduction: Rising States and the Fate of Declining Great Powers 1. Predation Theory 2. A Formerly Great Britain: Predicting U.S. and Soviet Strategy 3. The U.S. and Soviet Response to Britain's Decline 4. Watching the Soviet Union Decline: Assessing Change and Predicting U.S. Strategy 5. U.S. Strategy and the Decline of the Soviet Union Conclusion: Rising Powers, the Fate of Declining States, and the Future of Great Power Politics Appendix 1: Declining Great Powers, 18601913 Appendix 2: Interviews Conducted with Former U.S. Government Officials Notes Index