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The Peace of Illusions: American Grand Strategy from 1940 to the Present (Cornell Studies in Security Affairs) Paperback – Illustrated, December 15, 2007

by Christopher Layne (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 15 ratings
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In a provocative book about American hegemony, Christopher Layne outlines his belief that U.S. foreign policy has been consistent in its aims for more than sixty years and that the current Bush administration clings to mid-twentieth-century tactics—to no good effect. What should the nation's grand strategy look like for the next several decades? The end of the cold war profoundly and permanently altered the international landscape, yet we have seen no parallel change in the aims and shape of U.S. foreign policy.

The Peace of Illusions intervenes in the ongoing debate about American grand strategy and the costs and benefits of "American empire." Layne urges the desirability of a strategy he calls "offshore balancing": rather than wield power to dominate other states, the U.S. government should engage in diplomacy to balance large states against one another. The United States should intervene, Layne asserts, only when another state threatens, regionally or locally, to destroy the established balance.

Drawing on extensive archival research, Layne traces the form and aims of U.S. foreign policy since 1940, examining alternatives foregone and identifying the strategic aims of different administrations. His offshore-balancing notion, if put into practice with the goal of extending the "American Century," would be a sea change in current strategy. Layne has much to say about present-day governmental decision making, which he examines from the perspectives of both international relations theory and American diplomatic history.

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  1. Print length
    304 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Cornell University Press
  4. Publication date
    December 15, 2007
  5. Reading age
    18 years and up
  6. Dimensions
    6 x 0.69 x 9 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    0801474116
  8. ISBN-13
    978-0801474118
  9. See all details
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Top reviews from the United States

  • Wellington Amorim
    5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for those interested in Americian foreign policy
    Reviewed in the United States on December 22, 2012
    Verified Purchase
    An excellent book, well-researched and written. Layne dissects American foreign policy, since the end of XIXth Century, and shows how American intervention and presence in Europe and Asia is much more pervasive than many think. Especially relating to Europe, his book is brilliant. As to Asia, due to some specificities, I thought the analysis (although meticulous) was not so successful as to Europe. All and all, one of the best books in International Relations I've read.
    Helpful
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  • Ray
    5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
    Reviewed in the United States on February 11, 2016
    Verified Purchase
    Still reading it, but I find it very informative.
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  • B. L. Carpenter
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Brilliant Analysis
    Reviewed in the United States on October 8, 2006
    The Peace of Illusions may be the most important book on America's security strategy published in the last decade. Layne accomplishes three difficult feats, when achieving even one would have been impressive. He provides a controversial yet well-documented interpetation of U.S. grand strategy since the end of the 1930s. At the same time, he shows convincingly that Washington's current approach to world affairs does not serve the best interests of the American people and is ultimately doomed to failure. Finally, he articulates an alternative grand strategy--"offshore balancing"--that would reduce America's costs and risks and prove to be far more sustainable.

    In his historical analysis, Layne argues that the United States has consistently pursued global dominance since the early days of World War II. Probably the most controversial thesis in the Peace of Illusions is the argument that Washington would have embraced such a strategy during the Cold War era even if the Soviet Union had not existed. Layne attributes much of the U.S. drive for global hegemony to the goal of maintaining a liberal world economic order--the "open door." In advancing that thesis, he builds on the work of a number of "revisionist" historians and economists, most notably William Appleman Williams. Critics may contend, with some justification, that Layne overstates the open door thesis and does not give sufficient weight to other factors, including the impact of crusading idealism on U.S. policymakers. Nevertheless, it is hard to rebut his case that the United States, instead of adopting a more sober and restrained foreign policy following the demise of the USSR, has expanded both the definition of its interests and the aggressivness of its pursuit of those interests. Washington's conduct since 1989 tracks perfectly with a strategy of global hegemony.

    Layne does an even better job of demonstrating how Washington's current security strategy is needlessly costly in blood and treasure. His analysis of the Iraq debacle is especially devastating, but he shows that Iraq is not an aberration. The current imperial overstretch is now, and promises to be in the future, a bipartisan folly. Layne builds a compelling case that a hegemonic strategy has invariably led to the demise of previous great powers, and that a similar fate awaits the United States unless there is a change in course.

    And Layne has an appealing alternative security strategy--America as offshore balancer. Other scholars have used different terms, such as strategic independence and balancer of last resort, to describe such a strategy, but the principles remain the same. Instead of trying to be the global policeman (or even worse, the global armed social worker), the United States needs to adopt a more selective and restrained foreign policy. Contrary to proponents of the current policy, this alternative is not "isolationism"--a vacuous slur designed to stifle intelligent debate. It is, however, a policy that focuses on defending America's vital interests instead of trying to remake the entire planet in America's image at the point of bayonets or cruise missiles. Layne does an extremely good job of building the case for an alternative grand strategy.

    The Peace of Illusions is one of those rare books that anyone who is interested in America's future in the international system needs to read. It is a book that should spark a badly overdue debate on the direction of U.S. foreign policy.
    17 people found this helpful
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  • Doug Bandow
    5.0 out of 5 stars Creating a Foreign Policy for America
    Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2006
    Many of the problems stemming from George W. Bush's grand

    neoconservative crusade are practical, resulting from the sort of

    mistakes to be expected from a gaggle of arrogant incompetents.

    Iraq, of course, is the most obvious example, but by no means the

    only one.

    Also fundamentally flawed, however, are the principles

    behind the Bush program. At these the redoubtable Chris Layne

    takes aim.

    Layne is a professor at Texas A&M University. He has long

    been writing trenchant articles and studies attacking the

    imperialist temptation, and especially the idea that the end of

    the Cold War allows--no, mandates--that Washington manage the

    rest of the globe down to the most insignificant civil war and

    local disturbance.

    The culmination of Layne's work is The Peace of Illusions,

    which focuses on matters of American grand strategy. The book is

    a serious read, but a necessary one if you want to understand why

    current policy would still have been a disaster even if Bush &

    Company hadn't been guided by fantasies when attempting to

    implement their vision. It is the imperialist vision itself that

    is flawed.

    Layne's analysis is thoroughly substantive, a sharp contrast

    especially with so much of the junk pouring forth from alleged

    "conservative thinkers." And the work is historical, recognizing

    that what happened yesterday still matters today. Layne explores

    the relationship between current controversies, past events,

    current players, and past strategies.

    It is a modern cliche to term books a "must read," but The

    Peace of Illusions surely is a must read for anyone who wants to

    understand and especially to change U.S. foreign policy.
    11 people found this helpful
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  • なむさん。
    5.0 out of 5 stars 国際政治の厳しさよ。
    Reviewed in Japan on February 24, 2020
    Verified Purchase
    戦後にかけてのUSの考え方。
    現実は厳しい。
    国際政治は、戦国時代とおんなじですね。

    どうすれば、自分に有利になるのか。
    相手にも有利になると思わせておいて、一番有利なのは自分という
    方向にもっていくその考え方。

    とても参考になります。
    Report
  • Sisyphus47
    5.0 out of 5 stars The American century
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 31, 2014
    Verified Purchase
    A clear and courageous account of the delusions and lies of the Cold War that are stil with us today, by a talented historian and analyst.
    Report
  • J. Rupp
    4.0 out of 5 stars Strategie und Ideologie
    Reviewed in Germany on November 7, 2006
    Verified Purchase
    Der amerikanische Politikwissenschaftler Christopher Layne untersucht in dieser Studie die grundlegende Strategie der Vereinigten Staaten, die deren Aussen- und Sicherheitspolitik seit dem Zweiten Weltkrieg massgeblich bestimmt hat. Der Autor ist dafür bestens geeignet, weil er sich in den letzten Jahren immer wieder mit zahlreichen Artikeln und Beiträgen über das Thema hervorgetan hat.
    Ganz ähnlich wie sein bekannter Kollege John Mearsheimer vertritt Layne hierbei die Ansicht, dass sich die USA in der Weltpolitik deutlich zurückhalten sollten, um nicht in bedrohliche Konflikte oder Kriege verwickelt zu werden. Zu seinem offenen Bedauern muss Layne aber feststellen, dass sich sein Heimatland seit Präsident Wilson gerade entgegengesetzt verhält. Die Vereinigten Staaten sind in der internationalen Politik expansiv aufgetreten, um sich eine globale Hegemonie zu sichern.

    Layne analysiert in seinem Buch diesen Prozess anhand vieler historischer Beispiele. Die Vereinigten Staaten waren demnach stets darum bemüht, ihren Einflussbereich auszudehnen, ungeachtet der enormen Kosten, die mit einer solchen Strategie verbunden waren und sind. Anstatt sich auf ihren sicheren Kontinent zurückzuziehen, haben sich die USA in Europa und in Asien unnötigerweise in gefährliche Situationen gebracht, die ihrer nationalen Sicherheit mehr schadeten als nutzten.
    Gelegenheiten, sich aus Europa oder Asien abzusetzen, wurden von der amerikanischen Politik ignoriert. So wäre z. B. die Gründung der NATO ein schwerer Fehler gewesen, weil sich die USA in dieser Institution viel zu sehr an Westeuropa angebunden hätten, wie Layne in Anlehnung an George Kennan argumentiert. Für die Aufrechterhaltung eines Gleichgewichts mit der Sowjetunion sei die NATO jedenfalls überflüssig gewesen.

    Als Hauptursache für das Streben der Vereinigten Staaten nach Hegemonie macht Layne den liberalen Internationalismus aus, der bei ihm als eine Ideologie der weltweiten Ausbreitung von Demokratie und Freiheit verstanden wird. Mit der Demokratisierung der Welt, so meinen dessen Verfechter, werde den Sicherheitsinteressen der USA am besten gedient, da sich Demokratien friedlich und kooperativ verhielten. Die These des "Demokratischen Friedens“, die Layne schon in seiner Arbeit "Kant or Cant: The Myth of the Democratic Peace“ (International Security, Volume 19, Issue 2) entschieden zurückgewiesen hat, verkennt aus seiner Sicht die realistischen Gegebenheiten der internationalen Politik, die durch Macht und Interessen definiert werden. Der Internationalismus bringt damit die amerikanische Aussenpolitik in arge Bedrängnis. Selbstüberschätzung und Gegenmachtbildung sind die unausweichlichen Folgen einer derart verfehlten Strategie.

    Die Analyse von Christopher Layne enthält eine ganze Reihe von bedenkenswerten Überlegungen. Seine Perspektive ist für Europäer ungewohnt und zum Teil erschreckend. Ob ein Rückzug der USA aus Europa nach 1945 tatsächlich wünschenswert gewesen wäre, bleibt angesichts der starken sowjetischen Bedrohung eher fraglich. Allerdings muss man Layne zugutehalten, dass sich die europäischen Staaten aufgrund des amerikanischen Schutzes zu wenig um die eigene Sicherheit gekümmert haben. Solch eine unangenehme Aufgabe überließen sie nur zu gerne "Uncle Sam“. An diesem mehr als unerfreulichen Zustand hat sich bis heute nichts Wesentliches geändert.

    Jürgen Rupp
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