World Out of Balance

A sophisticated and elegant challenge to the view that U.S. primacy is fast on the wane. By deftly backing up theoretical argument with historical example, Brooks and Wohlforth redefine debate about the durability of a unipolar world and the future of U.S. grand strategy. -- Charles A. Kupchan, author of "The End of the American Era" Effectively organized and well-written, this timely book engages many of the important debates in international relations theory and American foreign policy in a thoughtful and thought-provoking way. Without question, this is a major contribution to the field. -- David Baldwin, Princeton University This substantial book provides a full analysis of key questions facing the United States today: Does U.S. power--specifically unipolar or hegemonic power--bring large benefits? And does the U.S. position call for a limited or an ambitious foreign policy? The authors draw from a wide range of established arguments and add important arguments of their own, to provide clear and powerful answers. -- Charles Glaser, University of Chicago

Presents an analysis of the constraints on the United States' use of power in pursuit of its security interests. This book shows that in a unipolar system, where the United States is dominant in the scales of world power, the constraints featured in international relations theory are generally inapplicable.World Out of Balance is the most comprehensive analysis to date of the constraints on the United States' use of power in pursuit of its security interests. Stephen Brooks and William Wohlforth overturn conventional wisdom by showing that in a unipolar system, where the United States is dominant in the scales of world power, the constraints featured in international relations theory are generally inapplicable. In fact, the authors argue that the U.S. will not soon lose its leadership position; rather, it stands before a twenty-year window of opportunity for reshaping the international system. Although American primacy in the world is unprecedented, analysts routinely stress the limited utility of such preeminence. The authors examine arguments from each of the main international relations theories--realism, institutionalism, constructivism, and liberalism. They also cover the four established external constraints on U.S. security policy--international institutions, economic interdependence, legitimacy, and balancing. The prevailing view is that these external constraints conspire to undermine the value of U.S. primacy, greatly restricting the range of security policies the country can pursue. Brooks and Wohlforth show that, in actuality, the international environment does not tightly constrain U.S. security policy. World Out of Balance underscores the need for an entirely new research agenda to better understand the contours of international politics and the United States' place in the world order.