Dana Allin
As another presidential election looms, the America`s role in global affairs and security has emerged as one of the campaign`s great battle lines. The struggle not just to define but also to preserve American power is no modern phenomenon: questions of intervention and projection have dominated the nation`s politics from the days of the Founding Fathers. Then, as now, the old centres of power were shifting. Nor is economic stress an unfamiliar factor for policymakers.
But in 2012 these problems are compounded by the on-going financial crisis in Europe, which, together with the overstretch and fatigue from two wars, has sapped the strength of America`s chief allies. While it may urge its NATO partners to shoulder more of the security burden, the US finds them less willing and occasionally unable to share the strain. This Adelphi examines the myriad challenges America must confront if it is to uphold and spread its values.
Introduction Idealism Realism Pluralism Stakes Chapter One Power and restraint in American history The conservative anxiety Cycles of ambition Moments of restraint Chapter Two Barack Obama and the limits of superpower Afghanistan America: offshore balancer? Humanitarian war Counter-proliferation Chapter Three Politics, polarisation and American exceptionalism Tea and liberty Contested exceptionalism Fiscal paralysis Money and morals Chapter Four The causes and consequences of austerity The road to ruin Austerity politics Balance and imbalance Power shift? Chapter Five Power, influence and leadership A world without followers When coordination breaks down Frustration and hubris Conclusion Realist Dilemmas The plurality of power The primacy of politics Appendix American power in decline?
