Across the full span of the nation's history, Donald Stoker challenges our understanding of the purposes and uses of American power. From the struggle for independence to the era of renewed competition with China and Russia, he reveals the grand strategies underpinning the nation's pursuit of sovereignty, security, expansion, and democracy abroad. He shows how successive administrations have projected diplomatic, military, and economic power, and mobilized ideas and information to preserve American freedoms at home and secure US aims abroad. He exposes the myth of American isolationism, the good and ill of America's quest for democracy overseas, and how too often its administrations have lacked clear political aims or a concrete vision for where they want to go. Understanding this history is vital if America is to relearn how to use its power to meet the challenges ahead and to think more clearly about political aims and grand strategy.

‘With singular breadth and subtle depth, Donald Stoker provides a magisterial treatment of American grand strategy. Combining historical insight and analytical clarity, he synthesizes the enduring principles and evolving practices that have shaped the United States' interests, power, and role in the world. Scholars and policymakers alike should welcome this book.'

William Inboden - author of The Peacemaker: Ronald Reagan, the Cold War, and the World on the Brink

‘Donald Stoker's Purpose and Power is a thoughtful book that looks back upon the history of American grand strategy in order to inform debates over America's purpose in the 21st century. Stoker correctly focuses on aims as the starting point for developing and implementing strategy, and his discussion of strategy – diplomatic, informational, military, or economic, in peace and in war – will go a long way to inform debate over American grand strategy in years to come.'

Thomas G. Mahnken - Merrill Center for Strategic Studies, Johns Hopkins SAIS

‘Stoker's work is an excellent primer on the evolution of America's use of power from the Revolutionary War to the present. His perceptive analysis illuminates the difficulties the US government has had in combining diplomatic, informational, economic, and military power to craft appropriate grand strategy since the nation's founding. Highly recommended for graduate and professional military education.'

Peter Mansoor - author of Surge: My Journey with General David Petraeus and the Remaking of the Iraq War

‘Purpose and Power is the most comprehensive and complete discussion of America's grand strategy that has been published. Donald Stoker has provided historians and scholars of international relations with a provocative and insightful examination of two centuries of American thinking about its role in the world. This book is likely to become an instant classic in the field.'

Thomas Schwartz - author of Henry Kissinger and American Power: A Political Biography

‘Stoker provides a model for the kind of clear-headed analysis he advocates, showing how successive presidential administrations have assessed their aims in relation to American interests and attempted to implement them through diplomatic, military, and economic means … His prose is refreshingly direct and free of academese.’

Katherine Howell Source: National Review

‘Purpose and Power is an excellent primer on U.S. grand strategy and political history for students and scholars passionate about American grand strategy. Stoker provides readers with an in-depth look at America’s strategic history, furnishing a comprehensive analysis of historical events, a clear hypothesis of what makes for a good grand strategy, and a strong framework to analyze historical and contemporary strategies.’

Source: Georgetown Security Studies Review