The American Era makes a provocative argument about America's world role. It sets out the case for a grand strategy that recognizes American preponderance as necessary and desirable for coping with the perils of the post-9/11 world. The book argues firstly that, Militant Islamic terrorism and weapons of mass destruction pose a threat which requires us to alter the way we think about the pre-emptive and preventive use of force. Secondly, the UN and other international bodies are incapable of acting on these urgent problems. Thirdly, in an international system with no true central authority other countries will inevitably look for leadership to the US. The book argues that if America does not respond actively to terrorist threats, no one else will take the initiative.

This controversial book addresses America's role in light of recent terrorist events.

About the Author
Robert J. Lieber is a Professor of Government and International Affairs at Georgetown University. He is an expert on American foreign policy and US relations with the Middle East and Europe and the author or editor of thirteen books on international relations and US foreign policy. He has held fellowships from the Guggenheim, Rockefeller and Ford Foundations, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. His most recently published book is an edited volume, Eagle Rules? Foreign Policy and American Primacy in the 21st Century (Prentice-Hall and the Wilson Center, 2002). His numerous authored works include No Common Power: Understanding International Relations (4th edition, Prentice-Hall, 2001) and The Oil Decade (1986). His articles have appeared in scholarly and policy journals including International Security, American Political Science Review, Foreign Policy, Washington Quarterly, The Chronicle of Higher Education, Commentary, Orbis, The International Journal of Politics, Culture and Society, British Journal of Political Science, International Affairs (London), Politique Etrangere (Paris), and Internationale Politik (Berlin), among others.

Reviews
'[The American Era is] a wonderful, elegant and compelling analysis in every respect ... It will become compulsory reading on my Masters US Foreign Policy course next year and, I believe, should be read - and hopefully understood! - by anyone interested in American foreign policy. It really represents a magnificent achievement and is a work of exemplary scholarship. I hope and trust it receives the positive impact, reviews and sales that it thoroughly deserves.' Robert Singh, Birkbeck College, University of London
'We can only hope other books, whatever their normative agenda, will follow this example.' Political Science
'The writing is refreshingly free of jargon - a fault of much of the literature written in opposition to Lieber's thesis. His case is argued to strong, non-partisan effect. His examples are telling. The overall impact is to restructure the debate over recent American foreign policy along lines that are calm, analytical, and scholarly. We can only hope other books, whatever their normative agenda, will follow this example.' Japanese Journal of Political Science



Book Information
ISBN 9780521697385
Author Robert J. Lieber
Format Paperback
Page Count 306
Imprint Cambridge University Press
Publisher Cambridge University Press
Weight(grams) 421g
Dimensions(mm) 229mm * 153mm * 21mm