The big stick
Subtitle: the limits of soft power and the necessity of military force
By: Eliot A. Cohen
Edition: First trade paperback edition.
Published: 2018
Language: eng
Number of pages: 297
Subjects: National security; Diplomatic relations; Armed Forces; Military relations; Military policy; Foreign relations
Description: A scholar of international relations outlines compelling arguments in favor of America's enduring relevance and why an active military presence is essential to preserving and enforcing the nation's foreign policies.

"'Speak softly and carry a big stick, ' Theodore Roosevelt famously said in 1901, when the United States was emerging as a great power. It was the right sentiment, perhaps, in an age of imperial rivalry, but today many Americans doubt the utility of their global military presence, thinking it outdated, unnecessary, or even dangerous. In The Big Stick, Eliot A. Cohen--a scholar and practitioner of international relations--disagrees. He argues that hard power remains essential for American foreign policy. While acknowledging that the US must be careful about why, when, and how it uses force, he insists that its international role is as critical as ever, and armed force is vital to that role. Cohen explains that American leaders must learn to use hard power in new ways and for new circumstances. The rise of a well-armed China, Russia's conquest of Crimea and eastern Ukraine, nuclear threats from North Korea and Iran, and the spread of radical Islamist movements like ISIS are some of the key threats to global peace. If the United States relinquishes its position as a strong but prudent military power, and fails to accept its role as the guardian of a stable world order, we run the risk of unleashing disorder, violence, and tyranny on a scale not seen since the 1930s. The United States is still, as Madeleine Albright once dubbed it, 'the indispensable nation.'"--cover.
Notes: "Updated with a new epilogue"--cover.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 243-279) and index.
Table of contents: title: Introduction: national duties; title: Why the United States?; title: Fifteen years of war; title: The American hand; title: China; title: Jihadis; title: Dangerous states; title: Ungoverned space and the commons; title: The logic of hard power; title: Postscript: the eagle's head.