Description
The rise of a populist conservative nationalism in the United States has triggered unease at home and abroad. Riding the populist wave, Donald Trump achieved the presidency advocating a hardline nationalist approach. Yet critics frequently misunderstand the Trump administration's foreign policy, along with American nationalism. In Age of Iron, leading authority on Republican foreign policy Colin Dueck demonstrates that conservative nationalism is the oldest democratic tradition in US foreign relations. Designed to preserve self-government, conservative nationalism can be compatible with engagement overseas. But 21st century diplomatic, economic, and military frustrations led to the resurgence of a version that emphasizes US material interests. No longer should the US allow its allies to free-ride, and nor should it surrender its sovereignty to global governance institutions. Because this return is based upon forces larger than Trump, it is unlikely to disappear when he leaves office. Age of Iron describes the shifting coalitions over the past century among foreign policy factions within the Republican Party, and shows how Trump upended them starting in 2015-16. Dueck offers a balanced summary and assessment of President Trump's foreign policy approach, analyzing its strengths and weaknesses. He also describes the current interaction of conservative public opinion and presidential foreign policy leadership in the broader context of political populism. Finally, he makes the case for a forward-leaning realism, based upon the understanding that the US is entering a protracted period of geopolitical competition with other major powers. The result is a book that captures the past, present, and, possibly, future of conservative foreign policy nationalism in the US.
About the Author
Colin Dueck is a Professor at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government, and a non-resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He has worked as a foreign policy adviser on several Republican presidential campaigns, and has acted as a consultant for the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the National Security Council. His previous books include Reluctant Crusaders, Hard Line, and The Obama Doctrine (Oxford).
Reviews
If there is to be a coherent, consistent Republican foreign policy after Trump, whether his presidency ends in 2025 or before, there will need to be some synthesis of the various schools of thought, even if there is not perfect agreement...President Trump may prove to have been a necessary catharsis. But those seeking to formulate policy in the aftermath of that catharsis face profound challenges. Colin Dueck's Age of Iron is an excellent start to the work that lies ahead. * Patrick J. Garrity, University of Virginia, Claremont Review of Books *
Dueck concludes the Age of Iron with a masterful analysis of the geopolitics of the 21st century. His is a classical geopolitical worldview, drawing on the great geopolitical ideas and concepts of Halford Mackinder and Nicholas Spykman. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. * Frank Sempa, New York Journal of Books *
America needs an iron constitution for the era of great power competition now upon us. . . . So warns conservative scholar Colin Dueck in his new book . . . Age of Iron commits many pages to analyzing Trump's first term. It concludes that, while his rhetoric may be populist, the president's policy fits well within the scope of traditional conservative foreign policy. * James Jay Carafano, Fox News Opinion *
In asserting that conservative nationalism is a tradition stretching back to the 18th century, Age of Iron makes a bold claim about American history, not least that the neocon foreign policy that has dominated the last quarter-century of Republican security thinking is actually outside the mainstream of GOP tradition. . . . Dueck is at his most provocative in championing a third path for GOP foreign policy. . . . Dueck argues that there is such a center, if not the 'centrist' position that is regularly attributed to politicians such as George H. W. Bush. Instead, the center is conservative nationalism currently as represented by Trump. * Michael Auslin, National Review *
There is often a tendency, particularly in Washington, to view the Trump administration as an unfortunate blip in U.S. foreign affairs-a moment that will soon pass. . . . Dueck warns against this complacency. * Nikolas K. Gvosdev, The National Interest *
Colin Dueck is one of the sharpest analysts of conservative foreign policy thinking in the United States. His newest book, Age of Iron, will surely interest-and provoke-anyone interested in understanding U.S. foreign policy in the age of Trump. Even though I don't agree with all of Dueck's arguments, I highly recommend this book. * Hal Brands, Johns Hopkins University *
From La Follette, to Eisenhower, to Trump, Colin Dueck's Age of Iron provides a skillful and sweeping look at the history of Republican foreign policy(ies) in general and conservative nationalism in particular. Dueck's book is both highly readable and historically rigorous, and is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to make sense of our contemporary foreign policy debates. * Rep. Michael John Gallagher, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 8th district *
Revelatory. Dueck tracks conservative nationalism, the 'real' American Way which in recent times has been suppressed by the agendas of internationalism and globalism and largely ignored by both major political parties. Trump has tapped into this powerful undercurrent and it will outlast him, requiring a reappraisal of the U.S. role in the world. * Charles Hill, Yale University, Stanford University *
Book Information
ISBN 9780190079369
Author Colin Dueck
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 163mm * 234mm * 23mm
About the Author
Colin Dueck is a Professor at George Mason University's Schar School of Policy and Government, and a non-resident fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. He has worked as a foreign policy adviser on several Republican presidential campaigns, and has acted as a consultant for the Department of State, the Department of Defense, and the National Security Council. His previous books include Reluctant Crusaders, Hard Line, and The Obama Doctrine (Oxford).
Reviews
If there is to be a coherent, consistent Republican foreign policy after Trump, whether his presidency ends in 2025 or before, there will need to be some synthesis of the various schools of thought, even if there is not perfect agreement...President Trump may prove to have been a necessary catharsis. But those seeking to formulate policy in the aftermath of that catharsis face profound challenges. Colin Dueck's Age of Iron is an excellent start to the work that lies ahead. * Patrick J. Garrity, University of Virginia, Claremont Review of Books *
Dueck concludes the Age of Iron with a masterful analysis of the geopolitics of the 21st century. His is a classical geopolitical worldview, drawing on the great geopolitical ideas and concepts of Halford Mackinder and Nicholas Spykman. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book. * Frank Sempa, New York Journal of Books *
America needs an iron constitution for the era of great power competition now upon us. . . . So warns conservative scholar Colin Dueck in his new book . . . Age of Iron commits many pages to analyzing Trump's first term. It concludes that, while his rhetoric may be populist, the president's policy fits well within the scope of traditional conservative foreign policy. * James Jay Carafano, Fox News Opinion *
In asserting that conservative nationalism is a tradition stretching back to the 18th century, Age of Iron makes a bold claim about American history, not least that the neocon foreign policy that has dominated the last quarter-century of Republican security thinking is actually outside the mainstream of GOP tradition. . . . Dueck is at his most provocative in championing a third path for GOP foreign policy. . . . Dueck argues that there is such a center, if not the 'centrist' position that is regularly attributed to politicians such as George H. W. Bush. Instead, the center is conservative nationalism currently as represented by Trump. * Michael Auslin, National Review *
There is often a tendency, particularly in Washington, to view the Trump administration as an unfortunate blip in U.S. foreign affairs-a moment that will soon pass. . . . Dueck warns against this complacency. * Nikolas K. Gvosdev, The National Interest *
Colin Dueck is one of the sharpest analysts of conservative foreign policy thinking in the United States. His newest book, Age of Iron, will surely interest-and provoke-anyone interested in understanding U.S. foreign policy in the age of Trump. Even though I don't agree with all of Dueck's arguments, I highly recommend this book. * Hal Brands, Johns Hopkins University *
From La Follette, to Eisenhower, to Trump, Colin Dueck's Age of Iron provides a skillful and sweeping look at the history of Republican foreign policy(ies) in general and conservative nationalism in particular. Dueck's book is both highly readable and historically rigorous, and is an invaluable resource for anyone seeking to make sense of our contemporary foreign policy debates. * Rep. Michael John Gallagher, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Wisconsin's 8th district *
Revelatory. Dueck tracks conservative nationalism, the 'real' American Way which in recent times has been suppressed by the agendas of internationalism and globalism and largely ignored by both major political parties. Trump has tapped into this powerful undercurrent and it will outlast him, requiring a reappraisal of the U.S. role in the world. * Charles Hill, Yale University, Stanford University *
Book Information
ISBN 9780190079369
Author Colin Dueck
Format Hardback
Page Count 240
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 163mm * 234mm * 23mm
