{"product_id":"2940148836902","title":"Defense Strategy and Forces: Setting Future Directions","description":"terms of its capabilities vis-à-vis other states. It is the mightiest state in the world\u003cbr\u003emilitarily. It has the world’s largest single national economy, which is three\u003cbr\u003etimes larger than that of its nearest national competitor (Japan) when measured\u003cbr\u003ein nominal dollars, and somewhere between 20 percent and 100 percent larger\u003cbr\u003ethan China’s when measured in purchasing power parity.1 It is the world’s most\u003cbr\u003eeconomically competitive economy, and it continues to exert a cultural influence\u003cbr\u003eglobally that no other state can match.2 Yet, while its hard power assets remain\u003cbr\u003eunrivaled and its cultural appeal remains extensive, its political appeal, if\u003cbr\u003enot influence, is significantly diminished from where it was in the decade after\u003cbr\u003ethe cold war’s end; its image as a positive force in world politics is at low ebb;\u003cbr\u003eand the legitimacy of its international actions in the eyes of other states has\u003cbr\u003ereached its lowest point since the end of World War II.3\u003cbr\u003eWhy is the gap so large between America’s hard power assets and cultural\u003cbr\u003eappeal, on the one hand, and its legitimacy, image, and general standing in the\u003cbr\u003eeyes of others, on the other? Has the country been pursuing the wrong interests,\u003cbr\u003eor has it been pursuing the right interests but in the wrong way? Does its grand\u003cbr\u003estrategy need major adjustment and if so, in what ways? To answer these questions,\u003cbr\u003eI first lay out U.S. interests in the current era; then I set forth the grand\u003cbr\u003estrategies available to it, together with the one I believe best suited to realizing\u003cbr\u003ethese interests; and finally, I highlight a key task for the next administration,\u003cbr\u003ewhatever its political complexion.","brand":"ReadCycle","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47079385399536,"sku":"2940148836902","price":2.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0737\/7593\/9824\/files\/2940148836902_p0.jpg?v=1763708750","url":"https:\/\/shop-qa.barnesandnoble.com\/products\/2940148836902","provider":"Barnes \u0026 Noble (DEV)","version":"1.0","type":"link"}