At Home Abroad

The United States has never felt at home abroad. The problem is not threats to American power -- the United States has faced few direct security threats. The reason for this unease is that Americans see themselves as members of an exceptional liberal society in a world until recently composed of largely non-democratic states. The United States finds no comfort in this world and, alternately, tries to withdraw from or reform it. But withdrawal violates an American sense of moral purpose, and global reform exhausts its resources. America cycles between ambitious efforts to enlarge democracy and create a New World Order, and more humble appeals to reduce U.S. military commitments and require that European and Japanese allies do more.In At Home Abroad, Henry R. Nau explains that America is no longer exceptional. All the industrial great powers are now strong democracies. When identities converge, nations do not need to balance military power against one another. U.S. relations with western Europe and Japan constitute a new, peaceful partnership that anchors America's identity in the world.Nau shows how national identities as well as national power interact to define America's national interests. He combines realist and constructivist perspectives to differentiate U.S. grand strategy toward various countries. The author provides many fresh insights to guide policymakers who must deal with both moral and material interests simultaneously.In Europe, the identity and power perspective advocates NATO expansion to consolidate democratic identities in eastern Europe and concurrent but separate great power cooperation with Russia in the United Nations. In Asia, it recommends thedevelopment of a multilateral democratic security community with Japan, Australia, and South Korea, progressively widening to include ASEAN states and, if it democratizes, China. In the developing world, it cautions against U.S. military intervention unless U.S. identity (moral) and