The Power Problem: How American Military Dominance Makes Us Less Safe, Less Prosperous, and Less Free
(Cornell University Press, 2009)

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Numerous polls show that Americans want to reduce our military presence abroad, allowing our allies and other nations to assume greater responsibility both for their own defense and for enforcing security in their respective regions. Why haven't we done so? In The Power Problem, Christopher A. Preble contends that the vast military strength of the United States has induced policymakers in Washington to broaden the perception of the "national interest," and ultimately to commit ourselves to the impossible task of maintaining global order.

Preble holds that the core national interest — preserving American security — is easily defined and largely immutable. In his view, military power is purely instrumental: if it advances U.S. security, then it is fulfilling its essential role. If it does not — if it undermines our security, imposes unnecessary costs, and forces all Americans to incur additional risks — then our military power is a problem, one that only we can solve.

Please join us as we discuss the nature of American military power, its purpose in U.S. foreign policy, and its power to define the national interest.