The Peace of Illusions: American Grand Strategy from 1940 to the Present

Extract

The Peace of Illusions: American Grand Strategy from 1940 to the Present, Christopher Layne, Cornell Studies in Security Affairs; Ithaca and London: Cornell University Press, 2006, pp. 304, xi.

In The Peace of Illusions, Christopher Layne explores the issue of American grand strategy, past, present and future. Adopting a classical realist approach, which incorporates both domestic politics and external security concerns, Layne offers provocative conclusions about the nature of American foreign policy and the challenges facing the country in the years to come. This book contributes to a debate that began with the end of the Cold War. It was eclipsed by September 11, but has re-emerged as scholars have begun to contemplate the limits of US hegemony and the need for coherent strategy.