Weary policeman: American power in an age of austerity

The struggle not just to define but also to preserve American power is no modern phenomenon: questions of intervention and projection have dominated the nation’s politics from the days of the Founding Fathers. Then, as now, the old centres of power were shifting. Nor is economic stress an unfamiliar factor for policymakers. With Obama now in his second term in office, America’s role in global affairs and security has emerged as one of the great battle lines for his presidency.

However, domestic political and economic problems are compounded by the ongoing financial crisis in Europe, which, together with the overstretch and fatigue from two wars, has sapped the strength of America’s chief allies. While it may urge its NATO partners to shoulder more of the security burden, the US finds them less willing and occasionally unable to share the strain. This Adelphi examines the myriad challenges America must confront if it is to uphold and spread its values and interests.

'This masterful volume traces the debate over the nature and uses of American power from the Founding Fathers to the Obama's presidency. A sober assessment regarding the prospect for continued American leadership in an era of rising debt, lowered growth and political deadlock, it demands careful consideration by aspirant leaders and potential followers alike.'

James Dobbins, Director of the RAND International Security and Defense Policy Center and former Assistant Secretary of State for Europe.

'Weary Policeman is a vital resource in shifting today’s academic debate from an erroneous argument of American decline into a far more useful question: How will America lead going forward? The book is well-reasoned, careful in its analysis, and valuable for the questions it frames and the answers it provides.'

Ian Bremmer, President, Eurasia Group

'In an insightful and readable study, Dana Allin and Erik Jones chart the potential of and the constraints on American power.’

Philip Stephens, Associate Editor, Financial Times

‘This timely and well-written book is required reading for understanding the foreign-policy debate likely to dominate the next four years and beyond.’

David C. Unger, author of The Emergency State