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book: Shields of the Republic
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Shields of the Republic

The Triumph and Peril of America’s Alliances
Language: English
Published/Copyright: 2020

About this book

During the Cold War, the United States shook off its traditional aversion to alliances and built the most impressive peacetime treaty structure in history. Yet today politicians argue that the country is so secure it gains nothing paying the cost of mutual defense. In doing so, they threaten a key source of that security: the alliances themselves.

Reviews

A learned rationale and blueprint for that reinvigoration of alliances. Rapp-Hooper takes on directly and convincingly the Trumpian critique that alliances are not worth the investment and have led the nation to fight other people’s battles for them…Her deep erudition, crisp prose style, and innate brilliance shine through on most every page.
-- Jeremy Shapiro Boston Review

Despite enduring support among the U.S. public for the alliance system, President Donald Trump seems determined to upend it, as Mira Rapp-Hooper observes in her astute new book defending U.S. alliances…The threat of COVID-19 has bolstered her argument, making plain both the importance of the alliance system and the imperative to adapt alliances to new ends.
-- Sam Winter-Levy and Nikita Lalwani Foreign Policy

Rapp-Hooper argues persuasively that the complex alliance system instituted after the devastation of World War II has proven remarkably successful…With Donald Trump's active animosity toward our traditional allies, the author cautions about a glaring blind spot: rising nonmilitary coercion from China and Russia.
-- Kirkus Reviews

For seventy years, alliances have been central to American foreign policy. Where did they come from and where are they going? Mira Rapp-Hooper gives smart answers to both the historical and future questions about our alliances.
-- Joseph S. Nye, Jr., author of Do Morals Matter? Presidents and Foreign Policy from FDR to Trump

Shields of the Republic will stand as the definitive study of US alliances, filling a scholarly gap at a time when America cannot afford to go it alone in an increasingly dangerous world.
-- Michael J. Green, former Senior Director for Asia, National Security Council

The precarity of America’s alliances is one of the central political issues confronting the United States today. Mira Rapp-Hooper has delivered the essential guide for understanding these complex partnerships. This is a masterful exposition of how alliances can both extend and restrain American power in these transformative times.
-- Kurt Campbell, cofounder and CEO of The Asia Group and former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs

Shields of the Republic is a must-read—an invaluable resource for exploring timely and thorny questions about the role of alliances in American foreign policy.
-- Elizabeth N. Saunders, author of Leaders at War: How Presidents Shape Military Interventions

Rapp-Hooper musters rock-solid evidence to demonstrate what policymakers have long believed: that America’s alliances are a remarkably effective foreign policy tool. Just as importantly, she gives an unambiguous account of why this system must be preserved and lays out a compelling plan for how to do so.
-- Stephen Hadley, Principal at RiceHadleyGates and former National Security Advisor

[A] perceptive look at America’s alliance system since World War II…Rapp-Hooper aims to counter the ignorant America First narrative by proving the value of alliances to the United States itself…She shows that defensive pacts served their intended objectives. The alliances, most importantly, also put American security first. Not only did they provide an adequate bang for a well-invested buck, but without them, America’s safety would have been at grave risk.
-- Thomas Zeiler E-International Relations

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    Frontmatter

    i
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    CONTENTS

    vii
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    INTRODUCTION

    1
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    1. AMERICA’ S ALLIANCE LOGICS

    17
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    2. DEFENSE AND DETERRENCE IN THE COLD WAR

    47
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    3. AT WHAT COST, ALLIANCE?

    77
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    4. ALLIANCES AFTER THE COLD WAR

    102
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    5. THE DAWN OF MODERN COMPETITION

    129
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    6. THE SHIELDS WEAR FROM WITHIN

    156
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    7. DEFENSE AND DETERRENCE FOR A NEW ERA

    176
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    NOTES

    199
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    ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

    239
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    INDEX

    243
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Publishing information
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
eBook published on:
June 9, 2020
eBook ISBN:
9780674246041
Pages and Images/Illustrations in book
Main content:
288
View content
https://doi.org/10.4159/9780674246041
eBook ISBN: 9780674246041
Keywords for this book
Alliance; alliances; security guarantee; defense pact; security treaty; defense treaty; deterrence; NATO; Atlantic Alliance; hub-and-spokes system; Japan; South Korea; Philippines; Australia; U.S. foreign policy
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