Purpose and Power
US Grand Strategy from the Revolutionary Era to the Present

'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, National Review