Charles A. Kupchan Book order

This is the first book to examine the full arc of American isolationism, from the founding era through the Trump presidency. Charles Kupchan tells the fascinating story of why isolationism dominated US statecraft for so long, uncovers isolationism's enduring connection to American exceptionalism, and explains why an aversion to foreign entanglement is making a comeback. This fresh account of American history sheds revealing light on not only the nation's past, but also where US grand strategy is headed and how the nation can find the middle ground between isolationism and strategic overreach.

The twenty-first century will not belong to America, China, Asia, or anyone else. It will be no one's world. Charles Kupchan spells out how to capitalize on the coming diversity to fashion a consensus between the West and the rising rest.

Is the world destined to suffer endless cycles of conflict and war? Can rival nations become partners and establish a lasting and stable peace? This title provides an account of how nations escape geopolitical competition and replace hostility with friendship. It explores how adversaries can transform enmity into amity.

The book delves into the strategic challenges faced by the Western world in the Persian Gulf, highlighting three key dilemmas: strategy versus capability, globalism versus regionalism, and unilateralism versus collectivism. It first analyzes US policy, particularly during the Iranian Revolution and the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, illustrating the disconnect between American perceptions and regional realities. The second part critiques NATO's attempts to establish a unified approach to shared interests in the Gulf, emphasizing the complexities of international cooperation.

Kupchan asserts that the rise of the European Union coupled with the emergence of a strengthened Asia will create a serious challenge to America's primacy, and that new fault lines will emerge around these multiple centers of power, creating a new cycle of history. With a belief that America will contribute to its own demise with the current "go-it-alone impulses" of American policy makers, he warns the U.S. to shy away from an isolationist policy that could alienate potential partners