CIAO DATE: 06/2011
May 2011
Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard University
Many policymakers and pundits contend that U.S. relative power is declining and that this decline will have negative consequences for international politics. They justify this pessimism on the belief that great powers have few options for dealing with acute relative decline. Critics say that retrenchment, a policy of retracting grand strategic commitments in response to a decline in relative power, is a contemptible policy that demoralizes allies and emboldens potential adversaries. Furthermore, domestic interest groups and lobbies look like immovable obstacles with regard to policies designed to harmonize ends with means.
Resource link: Resurrecting Retrenchment: The Grand Strategic Consequences of U.S. Decline [PDF] - 401K