Great powers and grand strategies. It is easy to assume that the most powerful nations pursue and employ consistent, cohesive, and decisive policies in trying to promote their interests in regions of the world. Popular theory emphasizes two such grand strategies that great powers may pursue: balance of power policy or hegemonic domination. But, as Steve A. Yetiv contends, things may not always be that cut and dried. Analyzing the evolution of the United States' foreign policy in the Persian Gulf from 1972 to 2005, Yetiv offers a provocative and panoramic view of American strategies in a region critical to the functioning of the entire global economy. Ten cases-from the policies of the Nixon administration to George W. Bush's war in Iraq-reveal shifting, improvised, and reactive policies that were responses to unanticipated and unpredictable events and threats. In fact, the distinguishing feature of the U.S. experience in the Gulf has been the absence of grand strategy. Yetiv introduces the concept of "reactive engagement" as an alternative approach to understanding the behavior of great powers in unstable regions. At a time when the effects of U.S. foreign policy are rippling across the globe, The Absence of Grand Strategy offers key insight into the nature and evolution of American foreign policy in the Gulf.

This book makes an original contribution and is a welcome relief from much of the polemical writing on the subject of American foreign policy. The scholarship is excellent. It will be essential reading for those in securities studies and international relations. -- Patrick James, Director, Center for International Studies, University of Southern California

About the Author
Steve A. Yetiv is a professor of political science at Old Dominion University and author of Explaining Foreign Policy: U.S. Decision-Making and the Persian Gulf War, also published by Johns Hopkins.

Reviews
It should be required reading for all graduate students contemplating a doctoral thesis in international relations theory. -- David E. Long Middle East Journal 2008 Theoretically guided but not heavily theoretical, Yetiv's book is well conceived and clearly presented... Highly recommended. Choice 2008



Book Information
ISBN 9780801887819
Author Steve A. Yetiv
Format Hardback
Page Count 264
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 454g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 152mm * 21mm