Russia and China are both believed to have a grand strategy -a detailed set of goals backed by expansive ambitions. In the United States, policy makers have tried to articulate similar plans but have failed to reach a widespread consensus since the Cold War ended. While the United States has been the world’s prominent superpower for over a generation, American thinking has oscillated between the extremes of isolationist agendas versus interventionist and overly assertive ones.

Drawing on historical precedents and weighing issues such as Russia’s resurgence, China’s great rise, North Korea’s nuclear machinations, and Middle East turmoil, Michael O'Hanlon presents a well-researched, ethically sound, and politically viable vision for American national security policy. He also proposes complementing the Pentagon’s set of 4+1 pre-existing threats with a new 4+1 : biological, nuclear, digital, climatic, and internal dangers.