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Grand Strategy Explained

Understanding competing visions of U.S. grand strategy—the framework that guides U.S. security policies—requires a grasp of some fundamental concepts in IR theory and security studies.

This series, theoretically grounded in structural realism and the balance-of-power tradition, is intended as an explanation of core topics in grand strategy.

SHIELD OF THE REPUBLIC

Grand strategy is a state’s theory about how to provide for its own security.

THE BALANCE OF POWER

The “balance of power” refers to the distribution of power among states or an approximate equilibrium of power between states.

GEOGRAPHY

Geographic distance and the stopping power of water obstruct the ability of even the most powerful states to project power overseas.

ALLIANCES

Alliances entail significant costs and risks, and the U.S. undergirds a global network of security dependents, treated as an end in themselves, rather than a means to an end.

THE LIMITS OF MILITARY FORCE

The pursuit of U.S. military dominance squanders resources and weakens the U.S.—and it weakens allies and provokes or creates new adversaries.

DETERRENCE

The deterrent effect of nuclear weapons limits great power conflict. Promises to extend nuclear deterrence to allies strains credibility and makes deterrence more likely to fail.

Christopher McCallion

Grand strategy, Burden sharing, Foreign and defense policy, International security, Israel-Hamas, Israel-Iran, Middle East, and Ukraine-Russia

Fellow

Christopher McCallion is a fellow at Defense Priorities.

McCallion focuses on issues in grand strategy, IR theory, U.S. foreign policy, and technological competition. His work has appeared in POLITICO, Newsweek, The National Interest, and CNN among others. He was formerly an adjunct lecturer in political science at Hunter College, City University of New York, and holds an MSc in Theory and History of International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.