Isolationism Reconfigured: American Foreign Policy For A New Century Project Muse Upcc Books

I needed the book for a class and it arrived too late to be of any use. This is not the first time a book shipped by Alibris has arrived too late to be of use to me. The book itself was in good shape though. This iconoclastic and fundamental work, Eric Nordlinger's last, advocates a new variant of isolationism, a'national strategy'confining U.S. military actions largely to North America and to neighboring sea-and air- lanes but encouraging international activism and engagement in nonsecurity realms. In Nordlinger's view, disengaging from security commitments on distant shores would liberate the United States to use its resources and decision-making powers to act more effectively abroad in matters of economic policy and human rights. A national strategy would then become a powerful new method of encouraging international ideals of democracy, and isolationism would be freed of its previous associations with appeasement, weakness, economic protectionism, and self-serving nationalism. Nordlinger draws on the recent historical record to show that a national strategy would have lessened the perils of earlier decades, including those of the Cold War. While real dangers did exist during this period, engaged strategies, such as containment, too often exacerbated them. The United States could have effectively and far less expensively helped to deter Communist aggression in Europe and Asia by encouraging other nations to make larger investments in their own protection. Marshaling impressive empirical evidence in defense of a controversial position, this final work by a leading scholar of international affairs is essential reading for scholars, practitioners, and lay readers alike. This iconoclastic and fundamental work, Eric Nordlinger's last, advocates a new variant of isolationism, a ""national strategy"" confining U.S. military actions largely to North America and to neighboring sea-and air- lanes but encouraging international activism and engagement in nonsecurity realms. In Nordlinger's view, disengaging from security commitments on distant shores would liberate the United States to use its resources and decision-making powers to act more effectively abroad in matters of economic policy and human rights. A national strategy would then become a powerful new metho 000_FrontMatter......Page 1 001_Chapter1......Page 11 002_Chapter2......Page 37 003_Chapter3......Page 73 004_Chapter4......Page 102 005_Chapter5......Page 122 006_Chapter6......Page 152 007_Chapter7......Page 170 008_Chapter8......Page 189 009_Chapter9......Page 224 010_Chapter10......Page 250 011_Chapter11......Page 273 012_BackMatter......Page 289 This work advocates a new variant of isolationism, a "national strategy" confining US military actions largely to North America and to neighbouring sea and air-lanes but encouraging international activism and engagement in nonsecurity realms.