The American Way of Strategy: U.S. Foreign Policy and the American Way of Life [Paperback]

Michael Lind (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 30, 2008 | ISBN-10: 0195341414 | ISBN-13: 978-0195341416

In The American Way of Strategy, Lind argues that the goal of U.S. foreign policy has always been the preservation of the American way of life--embodied in civilian government, checks and balances, a commercial economy, and individual freedom. Lind describes how successive American statesmen--from George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Alexander Hamilton to Franklin Roosevelt, Dwight Eisenhower, and Ronald Reagan--have pursued an American way of strategy that minimizes the dangers of empire and anarchy by two means: liberal internationalism and realism. At its best, the American way of strategy is a well-thought-out and practical guide designed to preserve a peaceful and demilitarized world by preventing an international system dominated by imperial and militarist states and its disruption by anarchy. When American leaders have followed this path, they have led our nation from success to success, and when they have deviated from it, the results have been disastrous. Framed in an engaging historical narrative, the book makes an important contribution to contemporary debates. The American Way of Strategy is certain to change the way that Americans understand U.S. foreign policy.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Since the first Gulf War, American foreign policy has undergone a dangerous shift against its tradition of preserving "the American way of life"—the civil liberties assured by a system of democratic republican liberalism—argues author and journalist Lind. The strategy has changed in style over time, from the "isolationism" of the first hundred years to 20th-century global alliances and "temporary alliance hegemony" against mounting empires. But keeping security costs down while "promoting a less dangerous international environment" has largely permitted the public to avoid trading liberty for security in moments of crisis, he argues. By contrast, the emergence of a post–Cold War bipartisan consensus around permanent U.S. global dominance (championed by neoconservatives like Paul Wolfowitz and Dick Cheney) is a perilous anomaly, says Lind (The Radical Center). His lucid if sometimes reductive focus on international strategy and power politics as a primary engine of history can obscure as much as it clarifies. But Lind's advocacy of a "concert of power" or shared primacy among several nations gains a persuasive momentum, exposing the folly of the current imperial strategy while forcefully examining the neglected role of foreign policy in the shaping of American politics and society. (Sept.)
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Review

"A shrewd and plausible critique of the drift of policy since the cold war."--The New York Times Book Review

"Michael Lind's The American Way of Strategy represents an early and thoughtful attempt to sketch a post-Iraq foreign policy. The virtue of Lind's book is its sweeping ambition. He writes in evident outrage over the policies of the Bush administration, but his book is not about the debacle in Iraq or how to respond to Islamist terrorism. It is not even about the renewed dispute between the great foreign policy traditions of realism (a la Henry Kissinger) and idealism (a la Woodrow Wilson). Instead, Lind, a fellow at the New America Foundation, scours history for tenets that have guided U.S. foreign policy in the past and that should be applied in the future."--Washington Post Book World

"Lind's encyclopedic knowledge of U.S. history and extraordinary grasp of the intellectual history of U.S. politics qualify him to write with great authority and insight about the development of American grand strategy from the Washington administration to the present day, and this generally level-headed and balanced book will significantly enhance Lind's reputation in foreign policy circles."--Foreign Affairs

"In this important defense of liberal internationalism, Michael Lind reminds us that the greatest threat to the American way of life is that Americans jettison their democratic republican government and society in search of security in a garrison state. He wisely argues that democracy is best promoted by example, not by force, and that a world safe or democracy need not be a democratic world."--Joseph S. Nye, Jr., Distinguished Service Professor at Harvard University and author of The Powers to Lead

"It is an intriguing thesis: American strategy is, and always has been, to prevent the rise of a hegemon sufficiently powerful to require us to sacrifice our liberty to preserve our country. Thus, Michael Lind could not be more timely in his caution against those today who would casually suspend our Constitutional liberties, our 'American way of life,' in the name of a war on terrorism."--Gary Hart, United States Senator (Retired)

"Lind deftly explores the intimate connection between America's political culture and its foreign policy, mapping out the consequences at home and abroad. This book offers a unique perspective on America's engagement with the world--and then goes on not only to diagnose why America has of late gone off course, but also to prescribe an intelligent and considered remedy."--Charles A. Kupchan, author of The End of the American Era

"In the 21st century, the United States must strive to make its position of primacy acceptable to the rest of the world, while preserving the domestic freedoms and economic vitality that are central to the American way of life.To do that, it must avoid the twin temptations of either global empire or isolationist withdrawal, while keeping our commitments and our resources in balance. In this incisive new book, Michael Lind shows why America's traditional strategy of 'liberal realism' is still the best blueprint for preserving both our national security and our essential liberties. It is a book whose message could not be more timely."--Stephen Walt, author of Taming American Power

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Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA (July 30, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0195341414
• ISBN-13: 978-0195341416
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #684,187 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential In Understanding American Security Policy, September 16, 2006

By 

Grognard "grognarded" (Turlock, CA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: The American Way of Strategy: U.S. Foreign Policy and the American Way of Life (Hardcover)

The first chapter alone justifies buying the book. Michael Lind's American Way of Strategy is essential to an understanding of long-term (200+ years) American security policy. The first chapter applies directly to America's true objectives in prosecuting the war on terror, particularly in regards to nuclear proliferation. I haven't been more enthralled with a book on this subject since Walter Russell Mead's Special Providence.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Promising start, but falls apart., December 14, 2008

By 

Mirivald van Book (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The American Way of Strategy: U.S. Foreign Policy and the American Way of Life (Hardcover)

I've been a fan of Lind's appearances on Bloggingheads.tv, so I really wish I could recommend this more wholeheartedly, but I was disappointed. The first section was straight gangbusters, with the explanation of American strategy as being calculated to avoid the very real possibilities of a "garrison state", "tributary state" or "castle society." "The purpose of the American way of strategy is to defend the American way of life by means that do not endanger the American way of life." Right on.

Lind's summary of early US foreign policy is very good, his WWI, interwar & WWII is pretty good, and his Cold War is excellent, but after that the book falls apart in a hurry. The closer he gets to the present day, the more antique it all seems. All about unitary states, not a non-state actor to be found, and all the concern is with forging anti-hegemonic networks of power to prevent rising great states from dominating the globe (really, if there is a Russia-China-US alliance, who are we balancing?). The book seems to take place on a Risk board; It just didn't seem to grapple with the really sticky issues of today. And the chapter on economic globalisation was exceedingly weak. Seriously, skip that part.

Lind is very very fluent at Realism, but much shakier at holding up the Liberal Internationalism side of his thesis, I feel. Now, Liberal Internationalism often gets smeared as inherently wobbly, so Lind's added handicap doesn't help the case. But some of his prescriptions are just flagrantly DOA. A world where the US will forge separate alliances with all major powers in all areas, elevate Russia and China to the relative detriment of Japanese and German security-clients, shrug at Taiwan and So Korea being retaken, nationalize & protect the bejeesus out of all defense-related industry and act as the materiel supplier while other nations somehow eagerly provide all the boots on the ground? ...Really? There's surely something to be said for thinking outside the box, but in terms of real political plausibility, I'm not sure Lind really knows where the box is.

All in all I liked the first third and the last chapter, everything else was not so great. You can do much better for a Realism / Liberal Internationalism hybrid by reading Steve Walt and Anne-Marie Slaughter back-to-back & calling it a day.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellent, quickly readable history of American security policy, December 29, 2009

By 

James M. Diehl (Maryland) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The American Way of Strategy: U.S. Foreign Policy and the American Way of Life (Paperback)

I recommend Michael Lind's book for anyone, short on time, who wants to understand the general consistency of American security policy at least up through the end of the cold war. Beyond the cold war, this book describes history in the making which will certainly be subject to multiple interpretations as it solidifies over time. For anyone asking the question "Where is America going?" and Where should America be going?" The American Way of Strategy will give you much to think about. These questions are not suitable for sound bites and partisan politics should have no role here. These are serious, deep, but also practical issues. Mr. Lind's excellent history and creative analyses has provided me with an excellent framework with which to deal with them. You will enjoy his book!