United States Grand Strategy: Implications of Decline and Retrenchment
Abstract
Given the fiscal reality and significantly altered international environment facing the United States, there is a great deal of debate regarding an appropriate grand strategy going forward. Inherent in this debate and in the strategic path chosen is a perception that the US is suffering from relative decline in the international system. Objective and subjective measures indicate this to be the case. One promising policy choice is retrenchment. Bounded in realism and supported by history, retrenchment is a broad imperative or mechanism to reconcile excessive foreign commitments with actual means by eliminating, shifting, or sharing burdens. The US needs time and space to recapitalize itself if its leaders intend for it to sustain its preeminent status on the global stage or at the very least prevent hegemonic conflict during a period of acute relative decline. These needs, dictated by eroding prestige and economic power and general domestic war weariness, necessitate a change in strategy. Retrenchment provides the opportunity, the bridge, for the US to shift from a primacy grand strategy to a combination strategy of security cooperation, selective engagement, and offshore balancing. Reformed US military strategy and structure, increased reliance on allies, and military restraint in international disputes increase the possibility the US will maintain its ability to secure its interests into the future without extending the nation beyond its means. In effect, retrenchment counters the systemic constraints of institutions, balancing dynamics, economic interdependence, and legitimacy while systemic activism minimizes the potential detrimental aspects of retrenchment. Together, they offer a way forward out of decline that is likely to reduce the paradox of US power, lowering the risk of counter-hegemonic actions by nations that fear a too powerful US has possible self-interest infringement or loss implications.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Jun 01, 2012
- Accession Number
- AD1019706
Entities
People
- Christopher A. Macaulay
Organizations
- Air University