Liberal World Restored?

Jacob Shively is associate professor at the University of West Florida, USA

• List of TablesAcknowledgementsChapter 1 The Old World Ordera. Power Forward b. Assessing Biden’s Internationalism 1. Restoration Work 2. Not the Best, But Far from the Worst 3. Muddled Priorities c. Making the argument 1. Core contributions 2. Pressing Insight d. Liberal Disagreement 1. Liberal Dilemmas of Dominance 2. Nationalism and Restraint e. Median Convictions1. Biden’s Background2. Personnel f. In Sum Chapter 2 Quality Descriptiona. The State of Grand Strategy 1. Now What? 2. Grand Necessity 3. Foreign Policy Decision Processes and Outcome Bias b. Grand Strategy Analysis 1. Observation Tools 2. Ideal Consistency 3. Identifying Grand Strategy c. In Sum Chapter 3 Priorities: Early Goals and Agendas through 2021a. The Little thingsb. A Running Start1. Early Actions2. Guiding Principlesc. Old is New Again1. “A free and open indo-pacific”2. Democracy and Human Rights i. Dem summit3. The Cuban Test4. Summit for Democraciesd. Findings1. Process Quality: National Utility 2. Process Quality: Institutional Processes 3. Process Quality: Psychology and Decision Processes 4. Substance 5. Outcomes e. In SumChapter 4 End of the Beginning: The Afghanistan Withdrawal Decisiona. Ending an Era b. Decision Portfolio c. Form Over Function 1. The Review 2. The Power Sharing Proposal 3. The Final Decision d. Conventional Fallout e. Findings 1. Process Quality: National Utility 2. Process Quality: Institutional Processes 3. Process Quality: Psychology and Decision Processes 4. Substance 5. Outcomes f. In SumChapter 5 Technically Strategic: Techno-nationalism and the China Challengea. Intro1. Great Power Spat2. Techno-nationalism b. Cold War Deja Vu1. Team and Rhetoric2. Early Decisionsc. Trade in the USAd. Soft Where?e. Cyberf. Base Logicg. Findings1. Process Quality: National Utility 2. Process Quality: Institutional Processes 3. Process Quality: Psychology and Decision Processes 4. Substance 5. Outcomes h. In SumChapter 6 Geostrategic Habits: Responding to Russian Challengesa. Familiar Playbookb. Basic threats1. Pipeline Dreams2. Cyber prioritiesc. Impending War1. Red Flags2. Deterrent Hopes d. Cold War Play Book1. Pulling the Trigger2. Ukraine’s Long War3. Building Aid4. Domestic Dissent5. Isolating Russiae. Findings1. Process Quality: National Utility 2. Process Quality: Institutional Processes 3. Process Quality: Psychology and Decision Processes 4. Substance 5. Outcomes f. In SumChapter 7 Partial Restoration: Diplomat in Residencea. Summa Bona1. Pars Bona b. Liberal Internationalism, Nationalist Mood: Identifying Biden’s Grand Strategy 1. Dauntless Hope 2. Impersonal Identity c. Man of the Century: Assessing Biden’s Grand Strategy 1. Grading Grand Strategy 2. A Comparative Assessment 3. Extensions and Modifications d. Future Description e. Joe Biden’s Grand Strategy Appendix: On Structured Description BibliographyAbout the Author

This is the most authoritative grand strategic analysis so far of the Biden administration’s foreign policy and national security plans and policies. Shively is tough but fair in judging the administration’s strategic performance, and he insightfully uses a variety of theoretical lenses to do so. This book is a must-read for scholars and practitioners of US foreign policy!