Purpose and Power

US Grand Strategy from the Revolutionary Era to the Present

Donald Stoker

Across the full span of the nation’s history, Donald Stoker challenges our understanding of the purposes and uses of American power. From the struggle for independence to the era of renewed competition with China and Russia, he reveals the grand strategies underpinning the nation’s pursuit of sovereignty, security, expansion, and democracy abroad. He shows how successive administrations have projected diplomatic, military, and economic power, and mobilized ideas and information to preserve American freedoms at home and secure U.S. aims abroad. He exposes the myth of American isolationism, the good and ill of America’s quest for democracy overseas, and how too often its administrations have lacked clear political aims or a concrete vision for where they want to go. Understanding this history is vital if America is to relearn how to use its power to meet the challenges ahead and to think more clearly about political aims and grand strategy.

Donald Stoker is Professor of National Security and Resource Strategy at the National Defense University’s Dwight D. Eisenhower School in Washington, DC. He is the author or editor of 13 books, including The Grand Design: Strategy and the U.S. Civil War, 1861-1865 (2010), winner of the Fletcher Pratt award, and Why America Loses Wars: Limited War and U.S. Strategy from the Korean War to the Present (2022).

Advance praise

‘With singular breadth and subtle depth, Donald Stoker provides a magisterial treatment of American grand strategy. Combining historical insight and analytical clarity, he synthesizes the enduring principles and evolving practices that have shaped the United States’ interests, power, and role in the world.’ William Inboden, author of The Peacemaker

DONALD STOKER PURPOSE

AND POWER

US GRAND STRATEGY FROM THE REVOLUTIONARY ERA TO THE PRESENT

UK publication April 2023 US publication August 2023

9781009257275 Hardback

£29.99 | $34.95 USD | $39.95 CAD

At a glance

• Identifies how the U.S. has used its power throughout its history and for what purposes. • Illustrates pitfalls that current leaders should avoid when making decisions on political aims and grand strategy. • Covers America’s aims and strategies in each of its wars.