Publication

This monograph assesses the grand strategic choices presented to the United States since September 2001. The author argues that policymakers must arrive at a clear definition of the enemy and the aim in the "war on terrorism". The ongoing insurgency in Iraq is increasing the costs of grand strategic ambiguity to the point where fundamental choices can no longer be deferred. The author goes on to evaluate two broad alternatives for resolving these ambiguities: rollback and containment. Since neither of these alternatives dominates the other on analytical grounds, and as both involve serious costs as well as benefits, the monograph seeks to show that a painful choice between competing values is increasingly necessary to illuminate the respective strengths and weaknesses of the key alternatives.