Old Tools, New Century

Once the foundations of U.S. national security strategy, deterrence, containment and collective security must all be adapted to new threats if they are to remain relevant in the 21st century. Deterrence has enjoyed a revival since 9/11, but while useful against asymmetric threats, it comes with inherent risks. Though the U.S. briefly embraced pre-emption in the past decade, containment has once again become an attractive, if complex, option for a frugal and war-weary superpower. And America’s collective security arrangements with its allies must be extended to include cyberattacks, but the very nature of cyberwar makes implementation of collective cyberdefense problematic.