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American Grand Strategy in the Age of Trump by [Hal Brands]

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Hal Brands

American Grand Strategy in the Age of Trump Kindle Edition

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Looking beyond the headlines to address the enduring grand strategic questions facing the United States today

American foreign policy is in a state of upheaval. The rise of Donald Trump and his "America First" platform have created more uncertainty about America's role in the world than at any time in recent decades. From the South China Sea, to the Middle East, to the Baltics and Eastern Europe, the geopolitical challenges to U.S. power and influence seem increasingly severe—and America's responses to those challenges seem increasingly unsure. Questions that once had widely accepted answers are now up for debate. What role should the United States play in the world? Can, and should, America continue to pursue an engaged an assertive strategy in global affairs?

In this book, a leading scholar of grand strategy helps to make sense of the headlines and the upheaval by providing sharp yet nuanced assessments of the most critical issues in American grand strategy today. Hal Brands asks, and answers, such questions as: Has America really blundered aimlessly in the world since the end of the Cold War, or has its grand strategy actually been mostly sensible and effective? Is America in terminal decline, or can it maintain its edge in a harsher and more competitive environment? Did the Obama administration pursue a policy of disastrous retrenchment, or did it execute a shrewd grand strategy focused on maximizing U.S. power for the long term? Does Donald Trump's presidency mean that American internationalism is dead? What type of grand strategy might America pursue in the age of Trump and after? What would happen if the United States radically pulled back from the world, as many leading academics—and, at certain moments, the current president—have advocated? How much military power does America need in the current international environment?

Grappling with these kinds of issues is essential to understanding the state of America's foreign relations today and what path the country might take in the years ahead. At a time when American grand strategy often seems consumed by crisis, this collection of essays provides an invaluable guide to thinking about both the recent past and the future of America's role in the world.

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244 pages
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English
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Brookings Institution Press
Publication date

January 16, 2018
File size

1061 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

<div><p>Hal Brands is the bright new star among American strategic thinkers. He is at once profound and sensible. In these essays he takes on the questions that all Americans are asking, or should be asking, about their nation’s proper place in the world today. His writing is lively, his thinking original, and his scholarship impressive. This is certainly one of the finest books you will read on American strategy in the Trump era.―Robert Kagan, Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of <i>The World America Made</i></p></div>

<div><p>Few scholars have done more than Hal Brands to illuminate American grand strategy, and in this book he has done it again. Written with deep insight and welcome clarity, Brands provides an indispensable guide to understanding our troubled times. His book is must-reading for anyone interested in how U.S. foreign policy is made―and where it is going.―Derek Chollet, former U.S. Assistant Secretary of Defense and author of <i>The Long Game: How Obama Defied Washington and Redefined America’s Role in the World</i></p></div>

<div><p>Over the past decade no one has written about contemporary American grand strategy more cogently than Hal Brands. Informed by his earlier volumes on the rise of unipolarity, the end of the Cold War, and utility of grand strategy, the essays in this book provide an invaluable guide to the transition from the Age of Obama to the Era of Trump. It should be required reading for scholars, pundits, informed observers, and practitioners seeking historically grounded judgments on the key strategic issues of our time.―Eric Edelman, former U.S. Ambassador to Finland (Clinton) and to Turkey (Bush II), and Undersecretary of Defense for Policy</p></div>

<div><p>Brands’ work is highbrow political philosophy rather than ideological screed, personally motivated attack or advertorial. America and its place in the world order, Brands writes, is more uncertain than ever. He addresses the role of Trump and the “America First” policy in relation to this dynamic and explores the emerging role of America in world affairs.―Andrew Madigan, <i>The Guardian</i></p></div>

<div>This important book focuses on American grand strategy or overall objectives guiding US foreign policy, particularly during the post–Cold War period through the first year of the Trump administration. Relying on sound scholarship and clear reasoning throughout, Brands (Johns Hopkins) argues that there has been considerable continuity of a positive American grand strategy, including reliance on a strong US global presence, and that calls for fundamental changes in this strategy are ill-conceived. Recommended.―<i>CHOICE</i></div>

<div>As well as providing another excellent, historically grounded contribution to the literature on grand strategy, Hal Brands has produced one of most substantive appraisals of the Trump administration’s statecraft to date.―William James, <i>The RUSI Journal</i></div>

<div><p>President Trump has made clear his desire for a new direction in US foreign policy. His critics are no less determined to maintain our current course. So where do we go from here? Over the years, there has been no shortage of academics, strategists, and former government officials who have sought to answer this question. Yet Hal Brands’s book, <i>American Grand Strateg y in the Age of Trump</i>, stands out among the pack.Dr. J. THomas Moriarty, <i>Parameters</i></p></div> --This text refers to the paperback edition.

About the Author

<div><p><b>Hal Brands</b> is Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and Senior Fellow at the Center for Strategic and Budgetary Assessments. His other books include <i>What Good Is Grand Strategy?</i> and <i>Making the Unipolar Moment</i>. He has served in the Pentagon as a special assistant to the secretary of defense for strategic planning.</p></div> --This text refers to the paperback edition.

Product details

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B0741C94LF
Publisher ‏ : ‎ Brookings Institution Press (January 16, 2018)
Publication date ‏ : ‎ January 16, 2018
Language ‏ : ‎ English
File size ‏ : ‎ 1061 KB
Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
Print length ‏ : ‎ 244 pages
Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0815732783
Lending ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled

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Hal Brands

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Hal Brands is the Henry A. Kissinger Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a Scholar at the American Enterprise Institute. He is also a columnist for Bloomberg Opinion. He is the author or editor of several books, including American Grand Strategy in the Age of Trump (2018), Making the Unipolar Moment: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Rise of the Post-Cold War Order (2016), What Good is Grand Strategy? Power and Purpose in American Statecraft from Harry S. Truman to George W. Bush (2014), and Latin America’s Cold War (2010). His newest book is The Lessons of Tragedy: Statecraft and World Order, co-authored with Charles Edel. Hal previously served as Special Assistant to the Secretary of Defense for Strategic Planning and lead writer for the Commission on the National Defense Strategy for the United States.

Learn more about Hal Brands: https://halbrands.org/

Follow Hal Brands on Twitter: @HalBrands

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Malamati

Explaining the Strategy of a Non-Strategic President

Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2018

Mr. Brands is specializing in a subject that is ill-defined, not openly or fully disclosed by its practitioners, and that changes not just every four years, but with "the vicissitudes of global and domestic politics."

Want a definition of "grand strategy"? Look on page 51, where it is finally outlined--in a vague, fuzzy manner that makes you suspect that "there's no 'there' there--but there's plenty for a Beltway guy, and Johns Hopkins prof, to grind out 223 pages of slippery text with sometimes-recursive notes (he quotes his own previous book on grand strategy in explaining why grand strategy is 'no panacea')--text that is speculative and inevitably lacking in specifics, since Mr. Trump is a constantly moving target. That's not the professor's fault at all, of course, and he gets full marks for embarking on his "project," although that is a fool's errand: It's just not possible to publish a book-length essay of this sort that wouldn't be outdated before being trucked out of the printer's back shop.

Mr. Brands does do some editorializing, though, in a way that I'm sure is closely aligned with the neoliberal Brookings agenda (and I will say with regret that I once considered Brookings an even-handed, centrist think tank, but they have truly become a conservative voice in recent years, and I no longer trust or respect their work). An example of Prof. Brands' editorializing is in the conclusion to the chapter with the rhetorical question: "Does America Have Enough Hard Power?" Unsurprisingly, his answer is a sobering "No!", and that "the best approach is to find the resources necessary to bring American forces back into line with the grand strategy they were meant to support."

Sharp-eyed and quick-witted readers will note that there IS no "grand strategy" fully and reliably outlined in the book--and by definition, discerning Mr. Trump's G/S is like finding an ant's foot on a black rock on a moonless night--but, we are assured by the Distinguished Professor of Global Affairs, the U.S. needs to gear up militarily for a muscular global role that this quixotic, isolationist, and resolutely nationalist president must have in mind, however fleetingly.

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Darla Nielsen

Addressing Tough Stuff

Reviewed in the United States on October 23, 2018

Hal Brand’s “American Grand Strategy in the Age of Trump” grappled with the implications of Post WWII grand strategy and its’ permanent role in American global influence. This up-to-date narrative presented an analysis of what grand strategy was, how it was implemented, and its’ future. While this topic had no perfect answer, Brands successfully used each chapter to address both sides of the ongoing “Push Forward, Pull Back ” (Barry Posen, Pull Back) debate. Brands ultimately concluded that “grand strategy” had a net positive impact on the world and the U.S., therefore, the implementation of grand strategy must continue regardless of short-term drawbacks.
In chapter one, Brands pointed out that the United States’ use of military and diplomacy formed a global co-op unmatched in previous times. Using this evidence, Brands argued that it was in the U.S. and the world’s best interest to continue grand strategy regardless of proposed alternatives because this model is so highly effective. Why would one fix something that isn’t broken?
Chapter two presented the aforesaid alternatives, most prominently offshore balancing. This method promoted the use of soft power to govern rather than hard power. He let the readers probe the costs and benefits of decreasing military involvement in the world. He pointed out that monetary costs would be greatly reduced, and high-conflict areas (such as the Middle East) might become less agitated if the military gave some space for autonomy. However, he later refuted offshore balancing by stating that offshore balancing’s benefits are sorely overstated. He claimed there was no guarantee that relations in the Middle East would improve. In fact, withdrawing forces might compromise American security.
Chapter three outlined President Obama’s weak military efforts and the repercussions of his military withdrawals. All this, he claimed, was due to Obama “overlearning” from the mistakes of President Bush. Due to the nature Brands’s writing (he compiled things previously written, and organized them into chapters) this chapter was unnecessarily lengthy. His argument, instead of expounded upon, was rehashed in a way that was difficult to continue reading. Regardless of my opinion, learning of the Obama administration gave crucial background to the conditions of grand strategy previous to the Trump election.
In chapter four, Brands provided two analysis of how Trump’s election in affected the well-being of internationalism. In his first argument, he stated that the Trump election was an anomaly due to the historical unpopularity of both candidates. In his other argument, he claimed that Americans have forgotten why grand strategy was erected. With the inauguration of Trump, he claimed that Americans have sentenced Post-World War II agendas to the gallows, unless American internationalism could subject itself to an overhaul.
Chapter five suggested two ways in which American internationalism could transform. First, the Trumpian “Fortress America”: a new isolationism that benefitted America, and America alone. Second, a more cooperative America. One that would work with its’ allies to distribute the work load and make better trade deals. Even with these proposed changes Brands felt the need to address what to do with the military.
Chapter six presented 4 solutions to the United States’ crumbling military influence and credibility. First, he proposed that the US should invest in a 20-year overhaul of our military that could match the United States’ bark with its’ bite. The second proposed that withdrawal from the Baltic States and the Middle East could easily balance our commitments with our military force. The third method? Bluffing. He said that the United States rely on its’ reputation: No country would dare challenge a back to back World War champion. Finally, the United States could employ Cold War strategy and use nuclear threats to enforce their commitments. With each of these strategies came major pullbacks (especially nuclear warfare), however the most critical part of his argument is what he did not say—covertly stated, increasing defense spending has the least number of foreseeable drawbacks.
His final chapter trumpeted that Trump was not as radical as his campaign may have implied, but he managed to reshape parts of US strategy that were fundamental to the success of the United States through his initiatives, rhetoric, and mannerisms.
Hal Brands’ engaging read took head on the concerns of many about American grand strategy. While some of his material may have been redundant, he provides a comprehensive and multisided narrative about grand strategy. This is a must-read for any person who hopes that “The American public as a whole still thinks that the United States is the greatest and most influential country in the world, and bipartisan support remains strong for the country to take an active part in world affairs.” (p 88)

4 people found this helpful

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Harry M.

Terrible read...

Reviewed in the United States on December 17, 2019

Just another case of TDS at its finest. KAG 2020

9 people found this helpful

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Akhil Mulgaonker

Five Stars

Reviewed in the United States on March 12, 2018

Good Book

One person found this helpful

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Forrest Trump

Grand Strategy?

Reviewed in the United States on January 31, 2018

The title alone should warn you off- the idea that the US has a "grand" strategy is belied by the dark, ill informed, ad hoc nature of American foreign policy post WW2- this is neocon baloney to be avoided.

4 people found this helpful

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