List of Figures; Abbreviations; Thinking about grand strategy in peace and war; Part I. From Backwater To Great Power: 1. The fight for sovereignty, 1775–1801; 2. Expansion, sovereignty, and war, 1801–1817; 3. Seeking a continent: expansion, Indian removal, and the Mexican War, 1817–1849; 4. Schism, civil war, and reconstruction, 1849–1877; 5. Conquering a continent: the Indian Wars, 1865–1897; 6. American empire, 1897–1913; Part II. From Great Power to Superpower: 7. Stepping on the global stage, 1913–1921; 8. The interwar interlude, 1921–1939; 9. Moving astride the world: the Second World War, 1939–1945; 10. The hot peace and the Korean War, 1945–1953; 11. The hot peace: the Eisenhower, Kennedy, and Johnson years, 1953–1969; 12. The Vietnam War, 1961–1969; 13. Détente and defeat: Nixon, Ford, and Vietnam, 1969–1977; 14. For want of a vision: the Carter years, 1977–1981; 15. Winning the hot peace: Reagan's great power competition, 1981–1990; Part III. The Post Cold War World: 16. The Gulf War, or First Iraq War, 1990–1991; 17. The new world disorder: Bush and Clinton, 1991–2001; 18. Wilsonian revolutionaries: Bush and war, 2001–2009; Part IV. Retreat and Defeat: 19. Retrenchment, engagement, and war: the Obama years, 2009–2017; 20. Retrenchment, engagement, and weakness: Trump and Biden, 2017–2022; Conclusion; Acknowledgements; Notes; Index.
A new account of grand strategy critical to understanding how America has used its power in both peace and war.
Donald Stoker is Professor of National Security and Resource Strategy at the National Defense University's Dwight D. Eisenhower School in Washington, DC. He is the author or editor of thirteen books, including The Grand Design: Strategy and the US Civil War, 1861–1865 (2010), winner of the Fletcher Pratt award, and Why America Loses Wars: Limited War and US Strategy from the Korean War to the Present (2022).
'With singular breadth and subtle depth, Donald Stoker provides a
magisterial treatment of American grand strategy. Combining
historical insight and analytical clarity, he synthesizes the
enduring principles and evolving practices that have shaped the
United States' interests, power, and role in the world. Scholars
and policymakers alike should welcome this book.' William Inboden,
author of The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the
World on the Brink
'Donald Stoker's Purpose and Power is a thoughtful book that
looks back upon the history of American grand strategy in order to
inform debates over America's purpose in the 21st century. Stoker
correctly focuses on aims as the starting point for developing and
implementing strategy, and his discussion of strategy – diplomatic,
informational, military, or economic, in peace and in war – will go
a long way to inform debate over American grand strategy in years
to come.' Thomas G. Mahnken, Merrill Center for Strategic Studies,
Johns Hopkins SAIS
'Stoker's work is an excellent primer on the evolution of America's
use of power from the Revolutionary War to the present. His
perceptive analysis illuminates the difficulties the US government
has had in combining diplomatic, informational, economic, and
military power to craft appropriate grand strategy since the
nation's founding. Highly recommended for graduate and professional
military education.' Peter Mansoor, author of Surge: My Journey
with General David Petraeus and the Remaking of the Iraq War
'Purpose and Power is the most comprehensive and complete
discussion of America's grand strategy that has been published.
Donald Stoker has provided historians and scholars of international
relations with a provocative and insightful examination of two
centuries of American thinking about its role in the world. This
book is likely to become an instant classic in the field.' Thomas
Schwartz, author of Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political
Biography
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