Dying by the Sword The Militarization of US Foreign Policy

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Synopsis

Dying by the Sword explores the US's evolving foreign policies from the Founding era to the present in order to ring the alarm on the US's increasing reliance on "kinetic" global diplomacy. Monica Duffy Toft and Sidita Kushi find that since the end of the Cold War and especially after 9/11, the US has initiated higher rates of military interventions, drastically escalating its usage of force abroad. Lacking clear national strategic goals, the US now pursues a whack-a-mole security policy that is more reactionary than deliberate. The book explores every major era of US foreign policy, combining historical narrative with anecdotes from US foreign policy officials, case studies, and evidence drawn from the Military Intervention Project (MIP), which measures the extent of US reliance on force.

Each chapter highlights the ways in which the US used and balanced primary tools of statecraftwar, trade, and diplomacyto achieve its objectives. It showcases, however, that in recent decades, the US has heavily favored force over the other pillars of statecraft. The book concludes with a warning that if the US does not reduce its reliance on kinetic diplomacy, it may do irrevocable damage to its diplomatic corps and doom itself to costly wars of choice. If this trend continues, it could spell disaster for the US's image, its credibility, andultimatelyits ability to help maintain international stability.

Book details

Author:
Monica Duffy Toft, Sidita Kushi
ISBN:
9780197581445
Related ISBNs:
9780197581438, 9780197581452
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
Pages:
N/A
Reading age:
Not specified
Includes images:
Yes
Date of addition:
2023-06-08
Usage restrictions:
Copyright
Copyright date:
2023
Copyright by:
Oxford University Press 
Adult content:
No
Language:
English
Categories:
Nonfiction, Politics and Government