''Restraint: A New Foundation for U.S. Grand Strategy'' is a book that was written by Dr.
Barry Posen
Barry Ross Posen (born July 13, 1952) is Ford International Professor of Political Science at MIT and the director of MIT's Security Studies Program. An expert in the field of security studies, he currently serves on the editorial boards of the j ...
and published in 2014 by
Cornell University Press
The Cornell University Press is the university press of Cornell University; currently housed in Sage House, the former residence of Henry William Sage. It was first established in 1869, making it the first university publishing enterprise in t ...
.
Posen is the Ford International Professor of
Political Science
Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and la ...
and director of the Security Studies Program at the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...
(MIT).
Grand strategy
Posen defines
grand strategy
Grand strategy or high strategy is a state's strategy of how means can be used to advance and achieve national interests. Issues of grand strategy typically include the choice of primary versus secondary theaters in war, distribution of resource ...
as "a state's 'theory about how to produce security for itself.'"
Posen describes the current debate about American grand strategy as being between two main philosophies: liberal hegemony and restraint.
The first half of the book addresses liberal hegemony. Liberal hegemony is defined as "an activist grand strategy that aims to assertively maintain U.S. dominance and the 'unipolar moment' in the service of liberalism and national security,"
Posen argues that liberal hegemony is the grand strategy that the United States has followed since the end of the
Cold War and that it has been a failure, calling it "unnecessary, counterproductive, costly, and wasteful."
In the second half of the book, Posen explains why restraint would be a better grand strategy to follow than liberal hegemony. He details what the strategy would look like and what sort of military would be needed to achieve this.
Reception
Reviewer William Ruger, writing in ''
The American Conservative
''The American Conservative'' (''TAC'') is a magazine published by the American Ideas Institute which was founded in 2002. Originally published twice a month, it was reduced to monthly publication in August 2009, and since February 2013, it has ...
'', called the book the "defining treatise" for supporters of restraint.
International relations
International relations (IR), sometimes referred to as international studies and international affairs, is the scientific study of interactions between sovereign states. In a broader sense, it concerns all activities between states—such a ...
scholars Hugo Meijer and Stephen G. Brooks have challenged Posen's claim that Europe will develop its own capable defense forces if the U.S. withdrew from Europe.
References
{{reflist
External links
Restraintat Archive.org
A New U.S. Grand Strategy- op-ed in ''
The Boston Review'' by Barry Posen
The Case for Restraint- American Interest article
Restraining Orderby Barry Posen in ''The American Interest''
A Realist's Guide to Grand Strategy- book review in ''
The American Conservative
''The American Conservative'' (''TAC'') is a magazine published by the American Ideas Institute which was founded in 2002. Originally published twice a month, it was reduced to monthly publication in August 2009, and since February 2013, it has ...
''
America Doesn't Need to Lead the Free World- Interview in ''
The Atlantic
''The Atlantic'' is an American magazine and multi-platform publisher. It features articles in the fields of politics, foreign affairs, business and the economy, culture and the arts, technology, and science.
It was founded in 1857 in Boston, ...
'' with Barry Posen about his book
The Moral Argument for American Restraint - in Iraq and Beyond- ''The Atlantic'' review of the book
Roundtable on Restraint: A New Foundation for U.S. Grand Strategyat H-Diplo
Restraint: A New Foundation for U.S. Grand Strategy- book event with the
Cato Institute
The Cato Institute is an American libertarian think tank headquartered in Washington, D.C. It was founded in 1977 by Ed Crane, Murray Rothbard, and Charles Koch, chairman of the board and chief executive officer of Koch Industries.Koch Ind ...
2014 non-fiction books
American non-fiction books
Cornell University Press books