The Grand Strategy Sessions Michael Beckley: Alliances and Coercion
Sep 15, 2025
Michael Beckley, an associate professor at Tufts University and fellow at the American Enterprise Institute, dives into the complexities of U.S. grand strategy. He discusses how American policymakers can leverage multilateral institutions, the importance of rightsizing alliances, and the use of 'tough love' to encourage burden sharing among allies. Beckley challenges the narrative of U.S. decline and advocates for a proactive approach, emphasizing strategic principles that can help navigate the shifting global landscape.
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Return Of Revisionist Powers
- Russia and China are actively using coercion and military threats to absorb neighbors, changing the international environment.
- That return of revisionism, not mere multipolarity, makes the 2020s riskier than the 1990s and 2000s.
Latent U.S. Strength, Military Strains
- The United States retains vast latent economic and technological power despite worries of decline.
- Military spending fell as a share of GDP, making U.S. military position more precarious regionally.
Strengths That Hinder Mobilization
- America's decentralization and immigrant dynamism create innovation but hinder rapid national mobilization.
- Political fragmentation breeds 'hollow internationalism'—talk without commensurate national force.