Contending with American Exceptionalism

Kori Schake leads the Foreign and Defense Policy team at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) and holds the 2025–26 Kissinger Chair at the Library of Congress John W. Kluge Center. She is the author of The State and the Soldier: A History of Civil–Military Relations in the United States (Polity, 2025) and a number of other books. Before joining the AEI, Dr Schake was the Deputy Director-General of the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS). She has taught at Stanford University, the US Military Academy, Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and the University of Maryland. She has had a distinguished career in government, working at the US Department of State, the US Department of Defense and the National Security Council at the White House. Dr Schake has a PhD and MA in government and politics from the University of Maryland, as well as an MPM from the University of Maryland School of Public Policy. Her BA in international relations is from Stanford University.

• AuthorAcknowledgementsIntroduction: The ‘barbaric yawp’I. Foundation: the cultureII. Infrastructure: the politicsIII. Conveyor: the economyIV. Enforcer: the militaryV. Surveying the damageVI. Denouement?Notes

‘Kori Schake draws on her rich historical insights to elucidate the wellsprings of American exceptionalism and explores whether the United States can sustain these strengths in the face of challenges at home and abroad. Dr Schake’s nuanced analysis navigates between the doomsaying and complacency that too often characterise contemporary debate and offers valuable insights for both policymakers and the public as the US embarks into an uncertain future.’Jim Steinberg, Dean; Paul H. Nitze Chair, School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University‘Dr Schake’s monograph is a clear and sobering account of the assets and liabilities on Washington’s ledger. With analytic rigour and stylistic flair, she examines the record of American exceptionalism and, crucially, whether America’s advantages are sufficient to preserve US leadership in the twenty-first century. An ideal book for anyone who doubts America’s ability to revive itself, but equally essential for those who underestimate the gravity of President Trump’s challenge to the very foundations of US power.’Rebecca Lissner, Senior Fellow for US Foreign Policy, Council on Foreign Relations; former Deputy Assistant to the President and Principal Deputy National Security Advisor to the Vice President