U.S. Grand Strategy for the Future

Abstract

In today's changing international environment, U.S. military power remains unparalleled. But, if the United States makes "going it alone" its predominate foreign policy; we may suffer a consequence with an aggressive adversary trying to shift the balance of power. The right approach to grand strategy is vital to winning the War on Terror. In defending against aggressors targeted at the United States, a question is raised as to how can we best mix hard and soft power within a coherent strategic framework? U.S. grand strategy should retain unilateral intervention and preemption as options. Preemption is in question because of disagreement about the resolve of states that could participate in or use dangerous WMD. On the other hand, dissuading rogue states or non-state actors early may be the best approach. Soft power alone offers little certainty for protecting and defending against national security threats. This paper will analyze the limits and benefits of using soft power and hard power in crafting an effective multilateral or unilateral intervention against terrorism within a coherent strategic framework.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Feb 23, 2009
Accession Number
ADA500571

Entities

People

  • Brenda Edmonds

Organizations

  • United States Army War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Counter WMD
  • Energy and Power Technologies

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Department Of Defense
  • Foreign Policy
  • Foreign Relations
  • Globalization
  • Homeland Security
  • Information Systems
  • Interagency Coordination
  • Intergovernmental Organizations
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • National Security
  • Security
  • Terrorism
  • Treaties
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Strategic Security Studies