Jeffrey W. Meiser

Power and Restraint: The Rise of the United States, 1898–1941 Jeffrey W. Meiser

Marc Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.; At the end of the 19th century, the United States emerged as an economic colossus in command of a new empire. Yet for the next forty years the United States eschewed the kind of aggressive grand strategy that had marked other rising imperial powers in favor of a policy of moderation. In 'Power and Restraint', Jeffrey W. Meiser explores why the United States - counter to widely accepted wisdom in international relations theory - chose the course it did. Publisher Marketing: American foreign policy between the late nineteenth century and the beginning of World War II is anomalous from the perspective of international relations (IR) theory. During this period, the US was a rising power par excellence, but it did relatively little to transform this new-found power into global influence. Despite the dramatic increase in its economic power, the US maintained its traditional distaste for European modes of diplomacy and imperialism, and it failed to capitalize on many opportunities to expand its political-military power. This behavior runs counter to most thinking in IR theory, which is that rising states tend to become revisionist powers seeking to expand their influence and challenge the existing order. Jeffrey Meiser concludes that American strategic restraint was caused by democratic domestic political institutions and norms. This work is important for understanding more about the history of America's international relations, and it is also important for understanding how regime type in today's rising powers, namely China and India, is likely to shape the character and impact of their ascent in the international system.