Power on the Precipice
Yale University Press
Power on the Precipice by Andrew Imbrie explores the creative possibilities of American leadership in an era of turbulence abroad and deepening polarization at home. It is a book about choices, the tough policy trade-offs that U.S. political leaders need to make to reinvigorate American money, might, and clout. In the conventional telling, the United States is either destined for continued dominance or doomed to irreversible decline. Imbrie argues instead that America must adapt to changing global dynamics and compete more wisely.
The human and economic toll of the coronavirus have tested the United States in profound ways and accelerated trends with which we are only now coming to terms. In Power on the Precipice, Imbrie assesses these longer-term trends and what they will mean for America’s role in a post-primacy, post-pandemic world.
Each chapter explores the trade-offs of a different strategic choice:
Core or Periphery: where and how the United States employs military force and what it can learn from past interventions
Butter or Guns: how to refocus U.S. national security around technological innovation, while making diplomacy its enduring tool of first resort
Allies or Autonomy: why America’s alliances matter and how to salvage them in a more competitive global landscape
Persuasion or Coercion: what the long history of nuclear negotiations with rival powers teaches us and why the lure of silver-bullet certainty is so dangerous
People Power or Pinstripe Rule: why the dark money flowing through U.S. politics, loss of trust in institutions, and transnational networks of corruption threaten not only the integrity of American democracy but the future of its power
Open or Closed: how the United States can renew its social compact at home and reform multilateral institutions so they meet the challenges of a new era—from pandemics and climate change to structural inequalities, cyberattacks, and disinformation
Along the way, readers will meet six conscientious leaders who have wrestled with these choices firsthand: a soldier who deployed to Kandahar, an innovator at the forefront of artificial intelligence and biotechnology, a diplomat who rallied NATO at a pivotal moment, a negotiator who tangled with the North Koreans, a scholar and anti-corruption activist who interprets ancient myths for modern times, and a statesman and veteran of battles foreign and domestic who still finds cause for optimism.
In the search for wise recovery strategies, the United States can learn from the successes and failures of great powers past. Power on the Precipice situates the choices facing America in a global and historical context. Readers will investigate the decay, experimentation, and reforms of the Ottoman Empire in the 17th century, the decline and adaptation of Spain in the 17th and 18th centuries, the alliance strategies of Austria-Hungary in the 18th century, the erosion and transformation of British power in the 19th century, and the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 20th century.
Reviews of Power on the Precipice
“Andrew’s young age belies his impressive past and equally incandescent future. From his life ‘growing up global’ as a Foreign Service brat to his years as a practitioner on the front lines of foreign policy on Capitol Hill and on the seventh floor of the State Department, Andrew’s insights come from lessons learned both studying the world, and working to shape it. Power on the Precipice is a worthy contribution to the public debate on America’s role in the world and a tonic for our times. It’s required reading for anyone seeking to learn what the past has to teach us or what the future holds.”—John Kerry, Former U.S. Secretary of State
“An important book for our turbulent times. Imbrie shows how America has provided principled leadership in this world and points to ways we can be smart and visionary in the future. It is an elegantly written tribute to the promise of America and a call to action to reclaim that promise once again.”—Walter Isaacson, author of The Innovators and Leonardo da Vinci
“Clearly argued, lucidly written, and well-documented, Andrew Imbrie’s Power on the Precipice deserves a large audience, not just of foreign affairs specialists but also of those concerned about America’s place in the world and how to improve it.” —National Defense University, PRISM Journal
“Imbrie mounts a well-informed examination of the country’s ills and offers a discerning perspective on its future paths . . . A thoughtful consideration of myriad challenges facing the U.S.” —Kirkus Reviews
“As grounded in sophisticated theory and nuanced reading of history as it is informed by the unforgiving realities of power, policy, and practice, Imbrie’s wise, affirmative agenda for America in a post-dominant world is essential reading.” —Ambassador William J. Burns, President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former Deputy Secretary of State
“A new narrative about America’s role in the world is sorely needed, and Imbrie details the most critical questions…Power on the Precipice offers insights for administration policy makers and ongoing strategy debates in a deeply polarized Washington.” —The Strategy Bridge
“Andrew Imbrie’s compelling, insightful, and fundamentally optimistic book is indispensable reading for anyone interested in pursuing an affirmative yet realistic foreign policy agenda for the United States. Grounded in history and the stories that have brought us to this moment, he assesses the world as it is with clarity and thoughtfulness as he finds a way to revitalize U.S. leadership with integrity and humanity.” —Avril Haines, former US Principal Deputy National Security Advisor and former Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency
“Laced with vivid storytelling, insightful lessons of history, and his own experience on the front lines of U.S. diplomacy, Imbrie takes the reader on an uncomfortable but necessary journey through the difficult problems, places and policy choices facing our leaders. It’s foreign policy ‘tough love,’ to be sure, but it’s exactly what we need right now.” —Rear Admiral John Kirby, USN (ret)
“A refreshing counsel against despair, this book reminds us that American leadership—born of wise choices at home and abroad—can preserve a world that both advances American interests and protects the common good. It will be essential reading for the renewal of U.S. foreign policy going forward.”—Ashley J. Tellis, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
“Imbrie deftly navigates some of the critical choices facing a post-primacy United States. Beautifully-written and persuasively argued, his diagnosis of America’s foreign and domestic policy challenges is shrewd. At a time of epochal change, policymakers would do well to heed his deeply-informed counsel.”—Mira Rapp-Hooper, Schwarzman Senior Fellow, Council on Foreign Relations
“A creative approach to addressing how America’s choices can either arrest or accelerate decline.”—Bruce Cronin, City College of New York
“Andrew Imbrie poses a series of existential questions about America’s identity and future in this thoughtful book.” —The Foreign Service Journal
