Power and Strategy in the 21st Century

Since the end of the Cold War, the United States has moved from unrivalled global dominance to a far more uncertain position in world politics. Power and Strategy in the 21st Century traces that trajectory, beginning with the optimism of the early 1990s and moving through the shocks of 9/11, the Global War on Terror, the 2008 financial crisis, and the rise of new challengers. It offers a clear, engaging account of how a period of unipolar confidence gave way to strategic overreach, growing constraints, and questions about America’s role in the international system.

Taking a regional approach, the book shows how U.S. influence has shifted in Europe, East Asia, the Middle East, South and Central Asia, the Western Hemisphere, and Africa, since 9/11. Each chapter examines how American policies (ranging from diplomacy and military interventions to economic statecraft) have shaped local dynamics and contributed to broader patterns of imperial overstretch and decline. This structure enables grounded understanding of how global power is exercised differently across regions and why outcomes vary so widely.

Designed for courses in U.S. foreign policy and international relations, Power and Strategy in the 21st Century provides a concise, accessible framework for understanding American power today. It equips readers to assess competing explanations for U.S. decline and to think critically about where the international order may be heading next.