The Vulnerability of Empire

Charles A. Kupchan

Published by Cornell University Press 1996

The Vulnerability of Empire

Charles A. Kupchan

In the series Cornell Studies in Security Affairs

https://doi.org/10.7591/9781501738708

Overview
Contents

About this book

America's quagmire in Vietnam, France's preoccupation with overseas empire, Japan's attack on the United States, Germany's aggression in Europe, Britain's appeasement of Hitler—what motivated these bouts of self-defeating behavior? According to Charles A. Kupchan, all of these episodes are rooted in a common strategic logic. Building on extensive archival research, Kupchan offers a bold new explanation for the rise and fall of modern empires, focusing on the extremist policies that contribute to their demise.

Kupchan provides detailed accounts of the imperial careers of Britain, France, Japan, Germany, and the United States. At times, he shows, each of these states responded to changes in the international distribution of power by pursuing reasoned strategies that enhanced its prosperity and security. At other times, however, they all engaged in bouts of self-defeating extremism. Kupchan argues that it was their perception of national vulnerability that drove them to such behavior. When a state lacks the resources to cope with prospective adversaries, decision makers justifiably adopt extremist policies. In order to gain domestic support for these policies, they sell to the polity conceptions and images of empire which alter strategic culture—public attitudes, the mindset of top elites, and the organizational interests of elite institutions. Decision makers later find, however, that they are entrapped in a strategic culture of their own making, unable to reorient grand strategy and avoid self-defeating behavior.

The Vulnerability of Empire will be crucial reading for political scientists, international relations specialists, modern historians, and policy makers.

Author / Editor information

A former member of the National Security Council, Charles Kupchan is Senior Fellow for Europe at the Council on Foreign Relations and teaches at Georgetown University.

Reviews

[Kupchan] concludes in a sensible argument... that elites all too often follow a course of action that ultimately is destructive to their nations; successful adjustment to international change is possible, however.... A major work, this book will interest not only historians, but also military and foreign policy analysts.

Why do states sometimes adopt prudent policies in response to power shifts in the international system, while at other times they engage in imprudent and, ultimately, self-defeating behavior?... Based on case studies of the international behavior of Britain, France, Japan, Germany, and the United States, [Kupchan] argues that the answer has much to do with 'perceptions of vulnerability.'... The Vulnerability of Empire is an important contribution to military security and foreign policy studies. Kupchan does an admirable job of integrating systemic, domestic, and cognitive variables to arrive at an explanation of his own.

Topics

Frontmatter Publicly Available Download PDF	I
Contents Publicly Available Download PDF	VII
Acknowledgments Publicly Available Download PDF	IX
1. Great Powers and International Change: The Challenge of Strategic Adjustment Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	1
2. The Causes of Self-Defeating Behavior Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	33
3. Britain Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	105
4. France Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	185
5. Japan Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	297
6. Germany Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	359
7. The United States Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	418
8. Grand Strategy and Peaceful Change: Avoiding the Vulnerability of Empire Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	486
Index Requires Authentication Unlicensed Licensed Download PDF	511

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Cornell University Press
Audience: General/trade;
Pages
- Main content: 528
Illustrations
- Other: 6 charts/graphs
Keywords: Political Science & Political History; Security Studies; International Studies

eBook

Published: January 24, 2019
ISBN: 9781501738708