Purpose and Power: US Grand Strategy from the Revolutionary Era to the Present

Donald Stoker's book explores the purposes and uses of American power throughout history, challenging the myth of isolationism and revealing the grand strategies underpinning the nation's pursuit of sovereignty, security, expansion, and democracy abroad. Understanding this history is essential for America to relearn how to use its power and think more clearly about political aims and grand strategy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 586 pages
Publication date: 11 January 2024
Publisher: Cambridge University Press

Across the vast expanse of American history, Donald Stoker poses a profound challenge to our understanding of the purposes and applications of American power. Spanning from the struggle for independence to the era of renewed competition with China and Russia, he unveils the grand strategies that have guided the nation's pursuit of sovereignty, security, expansion, and democracy abroad. Stoker meticulously explores how successive administrations have projected diplomatic, military, and economic power, and mobilized ideas and information to safeguard American freedoms at home and advance US interests abroad. He debunks the myth of American isolationism, examines the merits and demerits of America's quest for democracy overseas, and exposes how too often its administrations have lacked clear political objectives or a concrete vision for their desired destination. Understanding this history is of paramount importance if America is to reclaim its ability to wield power effectively in addressing the challenges that lie ahead and to engage in more thoughtful deliberations about political aims and grand strategy.

Weight: 1378g
Dimension: 162 x 237 x 57 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781009257275