Robert J. Art - Böcker

The United States today is the most powerful nation in the world, perhaps even stronger than Rome was during its heyday. It is likely to remain the world's preeminent power for at least several decades to come. What behavior is appropriate for such a powerful state? To answer this question, Robert J. Art concentrates on "grand strategy"—the deployment of military power in both peace and war to support foreign policy goals.He first defines America's contemporary national interests and the specific threats they face, then identifies seven grand strategies that the United States might contemplate, examining each in relation to America's interests. The seven are:• dominion—forcibly trying to remake the world in America's own image;• global collective security—attempting to keep the peace everywhere;• regional collective security—confining peacekeeping efforts to Europe;• cooperative security—seeking to reduce the occurrence of war by limiting other states' offensive capabilities;• isolationism—withdrawing from all military involvement beyond U.S. borders;• containment—holding the line against aggressor states; and• selective engagement—choosing to prevent or to become involved only in those conflicts that pose a threat to the country's long-term interests.Art makes a strong case for selective engagement as the most desirable strategy for contemporary America. It is the one that seeks to forestall dangers, not simply react to them; that is politically viable, at home and abroad; and that protects all U.S. interests, both essential and desirable. Art concludes that "selective engagement is not a strategy for all times, but it is the best grand strategy for these times."

The United States today is the most powerful nation in the world, perhaps even stronger than Rome was during its heyday. It is likely to remain the world's preeminent power for at least several decades to come. What behavior is appropriate for such a powerful state? To answer this question, Robert J. Art concentrates on "grand strategy"—the deployment of military power in both peace and war to support foreign policy goals.He first defines America's contemporary national interests and the specific threats they face, then identifies seven grand strategies that the United States might contemplate, examining each in relation to America's interests. The seven are:• dominion—forcibly trying to remake the world in America's own image;• global collective security—attempting to keep the peace everywhere;• regional collective security—confining peacekeeping efforts to Europe;• cooperative security—seeking to reduce the occurrence of war by limiting other states' offensive capabilities;• isolationism—withdrawing from all military involvement beyond U.S. borders;• containment—holding the line against aggressor states; and• selective engagement—choosing to prevent or to become involved only in those conflicts that pose a threat to the country's long-term interests.Art makes a strong case for selective engagement as the most desirable strategy for contemporary America. It is the one that seeks to forestall dangers, not simply react to them; that is politically viable, at home and abroad; and that protects all U.S. interests, both essential and desirable. Art concludes that "selective engagement is not a strategy for all times, but it is the best grand strategy for these times."

The Use of Force, long considered a classic in its own right, brings together enduring, influential works on the role of military power in foreign policy and international politics. Now in its eighth edition, the reader has been significantly revised; with twenty innovative and up-to-date selections, this edition is 60 percent new. Meticulously chosen and edited by leading scholars Robert J. Art and Kelly M. Greenhill, the selections are grouped under three headings: theories, case studies, and contemporary issues. The first section includes essays that cover the security dilemma, terrorism, the sources of military doctrine, the nuclear revolution, and the fungibility of force. A new subsection of Part I also deals with ethical issues in the use of force. The second section includes case studies in the use of force that span the period from World War I through the war in Afghanistan. The final section considers issues concerning the projection of US military power; the rising power of China; the spread of biological and nuclear weapons and cyberwarfare; intervention in internal conflicts and insurgencies; and possible future developments in terrorism, nuclear abolition, and robotic warfare. Continuing the tradition of previous editions, this fully updated reader collects the best analysis by influential thinkers on the use of force in international affairs.Contributions by: Bruce J. Allyn, Kenneth Anderson, Robert J. Art, Mark S. Bell, Richard K. Betts, Laurie R. Blank, James G. Blight, Stephen G. Brooks, Seyom Brown, Daniel Byman, Audrey Kurth Cronin, Patrick M. Cronin, Alexander B. Downes, Karl W. Eikenberry, John Lewis Gaddis, Erik Gartke, Alexander L. George, Avery Goldstein, Kelly M. Greenhill, G. John Ikenberry, Robert Jervis, Gregory Koblentz, Peter R. Mansoor, John J. Mearsheimer, Nicholas L. Miller, Louis C. Morton, Barry R. Posen, Louise Richardson, George B. Samson, Thomas C. Schelling, Jack L. Snyder, Paul Staniland, Barbara F. Walter, Kenneth N. Waltz, Matthew Waxman, David A. Welch, Jon Western, and William C. Wohlforth.