Grand Strategy and the Presidency - Foreign Policy, War and the American Role in the World (Hardcover)

This book examines the role of the Presidency in the formulation and conduct of US grand strategy and why this is important. It argues that, while the United States periodically has enjoyed exceptional presidential leadership in the past, few future presidents will meet high standards of leadership in foreign affairs. In turn, this will undermine the ability of the United States to construct and maintain a coherent grand strategy appropriate to the multipolar world of the twenty-first century. This is because there is little incentive, and often minimal opportunity, for prospective presidential candidates to cultivate the knowledge and skills that can translate into exceptional performance in the conduct of foreign policy and war. The US political system is "weighted" so as to favor candidates with particular characteristics -- such as personal magnetism and the ability to speak fluidly -- and voters generally use debates, press conferences, and other media-driven events to judge the strategic acumen of candidates. The book discusses US strategic history, with particular emphasis on the period from the end of the Cold War to the present, and diagnoses the weaknesses present in US strategic decision making and the challenges that Washington soon will face as great powers such as China grow more capable of influencing the international security environment and threatening US interests. It also explains, first, why exceptional presidential guidance is important to US strategic success in this century, and then establishes why such leadership is unlikely to be forthcoming. The book's final chapter discusses the probable effects of dubious presidential leadership, exploring why it is likely that the United States can be expected often to expend its strength on conflicts that do not advance its national interests, but may fail to intervene effectively in some of the international controversies most vital to its national interests. This boo