Coping with Geopolitical Decline: The United States in European Perspective

How great powers react to their inevitable decline shapes their own destiny and the course of international politics. Leaders can engage with others, isolate themselves, build alliances, initiate war, stoke up nationalism, or invest in innovation. Coping with Geopolitical Decline explores the strategies adopted by leaders and domestic elites to prevent, reverse, or deny the decline of their country, arguing that geopolitics is not fate.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 344 pages
Publication date: 22 October 2020
Publisher: McGill-Queen's University Press

The response of great powers to their inevitable decline has a profound impact on their destiny and the course of international politics. Leaders face a range of choices regarding their approach to coping with decline, including engaging with others, isolating themselves, building alliances, initiating war, stoking nationalism, or investing in innovation. These strategies can either foster cooperation or provoke conflict with neighboring countries.

In Coping with Geopolitical Decline, leading political scientists, historians, and sociologists examine the strategies adopted by leaders and domestic elites to prevent, reverse, or deny the decline of their countries. The book analyzes four European cases, including Byzantium, England, France, and Russia, before turning to the contemporary debate in the United States. The authors argue that geopolitics is not fate and that coping strategies depend on a range of contextual factors, including cultural representations of decline, the experience of military defeat, and domestic politics.

Elites' choices regarding economic modernization, diplomatic status, and preventive war have a significant impact on the extent and speed of a country's decline. Well-managed decline can lead to a peaceful power transition, while some strategies may preserve peace at the expense of a country's standing or encourage imperialist adventures or military conflicts. As the United States faces challenges to the liberal international order, engages in conflict with China, and reconsiders its traditional alliances, Coping with Geopolitical Decline offers valuable insights into key lessons from Europe's experience and provides comparative analysis of the likely dynamics of cooperation and conflict in the twenty-first century.

In conclusion, the response of great powers to their inevitable decline shapes their destiny and the course of international politics. Leaders must carefully consider their choices regarding engagement, isolation, alliances, war, nationalism, and innovation to prevent, reverse, or manage decline effectively. By analyzing historical cases and contemporary debates, Coping with Geopolitical Decline provides valuable insights into the complex dynamics of cooperation and conflict in the global arena.

Weight: 432g
Dimension: 152 x 228 x 21 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780228003533