Grand strategy is a state’s theory about how to provide for its own security.
The “balance of power” refers to the distribution of power among states or an approximate equilibrium of power between states.
Geographic distance and the stopping power of water obstruct the ability of even the most powerful states to project power overseas.
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.
Seeking to exercise and expand the United States’ military dominance has wasted the sources of U.S. strength, overextended its military and financial resources, and provoked or created new adversaries, all while failing to achieve its professed goals.
