Retrench, Defend, Compete

Charles L. Glaser presents in Retrench, Defend, Compete a provocative strategy for securing vital US interests in the face of China's rise.

Contrary to common fears, China's rise should not drive the US and China to war—geography and nuclear arsenals should allow the US to remain highly secure. Yet as Glaser contends, the real danger lies in Washington's position toward regional disputes in East Asia, especially over Taiwan. To reduce the risk of war, Glaser makes a bold case for ending the US security commitment to Taiwan and carefully calibrating its policies on protecting maritime features in the South China Sea. At the same time, the US should strengthen its alliances with Japan and South Korea and eliminate unnecessarily provocative nuclear and conventional weapons policies. These measures, Glaser argues, would defuse China's biggest security concerns while preserving America's core strategic interests.

Fusing insights from international relations theory with clear-eyed policy analysis, Retrench, Defend, Compete lays out a distinctive and compelling approach for managing the world's most consequential geopolitical rivalry—before it's too late.

Charles L. Glaser is a Senior Fellow in the Security Studies Program at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Professor Emeritus of Political Science and International Affairs at George Washington University.