War by Other Means: Geoeconomics and Statecraft
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | 4.81 (573 Votes) |
| Asin | : | 0674979796 |
| Format Type | : | paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 384 Pages |
| Publish Date | : | 2015-11-14 |
| Language | : | English |
DESCRIPTION:
Foreign Policy at the Council on Foreign Relations.Jennifer M. Robert D. Blackwill is Henry A. Kissinger Senior Fellow for U.S. . Harris is Senior Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations
"Dense, a bit detached, but stimulating" according to A. J. Sutter. This is a thought-provoking book about foreign policy, with a rather dense texture.The authors define geoeconomics (GE) as “the use of economic instruments to promote and defend national interests, and to produce beneficial geopolitical results; and the effects of other nations’ economic actions on a country’s geopolitical goals” (@20). GE is “both a method of analysis and a form of statecraft” (id.), but it is neither geopolitics per se, nor is it foreign economic policy.To illustrate (examples are mine, not the book's): (1) If geopolitics is “a method of foreign policy analys. "A serious and compelling warning" according to Brian E. Wright. For me, the most valuable, albeit alarming and depressing, section of the book is the cataloging of the relentless Chinese geoeconomic assaults on most of the southeast Asian nations and on many other countries worldwide. Without shouting or hyperbole, the authors report how the Chinese have insinuated themselves so deeply in the economies of many countries, that these now face ruinous retaliation if they take positions opposing Chinese actions. The US, while employing geoeconomics tools in the past, has largely abandoned them in favor of military resources and options. A big reason for this, although not fully explore. Fari Payandeh said Nothing short of a masterpiece!. At times I felt like I was reading poetry. Turning a jejune topic into a captivating page-turner is the stuff of magic.I particularly liked the historical perspective of Geoeconomics. An excerpt:"In return for favorable borrowing terms, the British crown under William III provided legal sanction for London credit markets and judicial enforcement of contract obligations, even obligations against the crown. By binding the crown as subject to credit obligations, British rulers succeeded in opening up new, vastly more affordable financing streams and flexibility that “in turn greatly strengthened its options in war a
The result is a playing field sharply tilting against the United States.“Geoeconomics, the use of economic instruments to advance foreign policy goals, has long been a staple of great-power politics. America still too often reaches for the gun over the purse to advance its interests abroad. John Ikenberry, Foreign Affairs“A readable and lucid primer…The book defines the extensive topic and opens readers’ eyes to its prevalence throughout history…Presidential candidates who care more about protecting American interests would be wise to heed the advice of War by Other Means and take our geoeconomic toolkit more seriously.Jordan Schneider, Weekly Standard. Not so in the United States, however. In this impressive policy manifesto, Blackwill and Harris argue that in recent decades, the United States has tended to neglect this form of statecraft, while China, Russia, and other illiberal states have increasingly employed it to Washington’s disadvantage.”G. A Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2016Today, nations increasingly carry out geopolitical combat through economic means. Policies governing everything from trade and investment to energy and exchange rates are wielded as tools to win diplomatic allies, punish adversaries, and coerce those in between
John Ikenberry Foreign Affairs 2016-09-01)War by Other Means is an important and interesting contribution to U.S. (G. A readable and lucid primer…The book defines the extensive topic and opens readers’ eyes to its prevalence throughout history…Presidential candidates who care more about protecting American interests would be wise to heed the advice of War by Other Means and take our geoeconomic toolkit more seriously. (Liaquat Ahamed, Pulitzer Prize–winning author of Lords of Finance)Although this thoroughly researched book is designed more for students of international relations and policymakers than casual readers, it is worth buying. Gvosdev National Interest 2016-05-11)Robert Blackwill and Jennifer Harris do policymakers a service by reminding them of the importance of geoeconomic tools. (General (Ret.)