The Reluctant Sheriff: The United States After the Cold War

Richard Haass

Council on Foreign Relations

December 1997

The Cold War came to an end in 1989–and still there is no name for the present era, much less an American foreign policy to replace the now obsolete doctrine of containment.

The Reluctant Sheriff by foreign policy expert Richard Haass fills this void. It is the first book both to provide a comprehensive understanding of the post–Cold War world and a compass to help the United States navigate it. The author proposes that the United States adopt a new foreign policy– "regulation" –and work to promote order in an often unruly world. To do this, the United States will frequently need to assume the role of global sheriff, one who forges coalitions or posses of states and other entities for specific tasks, much as was done during Operation Desert Storm. American unilateral action will rarely be a viable option; alliances and international organization will be able to play a useful but limited role. Americans will also need to resist the lure of isolationism. This will require that we maintain spending on defense, intelligence, foreign aid, and diplomacy at current and demonstrably affordable levels. Anything less risks squandering the spoils of winning the Cold War–and setting the stage for a new area of dangerous global competition. "In this excellent book, Richard Haass illuminates the challenges the post–Cold War world professor American statesmen. He notes that America's foreign policy must be carefully sized to our resources and convincingly argues that America can afford a foreign policy which protects our interests while respecting our limits." Henry Kissinger

"The end of the Cold War erased all roadmaps. Richard Haass has given us a new one–a lucid, deeply thoughtful, admirably clear guide to the post–Cold War world. Anyone interested in understanding where America is and Where it is headed should read this book." Charles Krauthhammer

"If you are puzzled about America's role in the world, read this book. Richard Haass–in clean, highly readable prose–steers a wise and sensible course between the twin perils of neo–liberalism and world policeman. The Reluctant Sheriff makes the best argument so far for a foreign policy that would replace containment." Joseph S. Nye, Jr.

"The Reluctant Sheriff is a perfect metaphor for our nation's search for the right balance between engagement and isolation in the post–Cold War world. Offering a big idea in a small book, Richard Haass makes a compelling case for a leadership that we would be wise to follow." Richard Holbrooke

Richard Haass is Director of Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution. Previously he was Director of National Security Programs and a Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations. From 1989 to 1993 he served as Special Assistant to President George Bush and a Senior Director on the National Security Council Staff. A consultant to NBC News, he is the author of numerous books and articles on American foreign policy.