Overview

Why are progressives often critical of US foreign policy and the national security state? What would a statecraft that pulls ideas from the American left look like? Grand Strategies of the Left brings the progressive worldview into conversation with security studies and foreign policy practice. It argues that American progressives think durable security will only come by prioritizing the interconnected conditions of peace, democracy, and equality. By conceiving of grand strategy as worldmaking, progressives see multiple ways of using foreign policy to make a more just and stable world. US statecraft – including defense policy – should be retooled not for primacy, endless power accumulation, or a political status quo that privileges elites, but rather to shape the context that gives rise to perpetual insecurity. Progressive worldmaking has its own risks and dilemmas but expands how we imagine what the world is and could be.

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9781316518663

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Reviews

‘In the two decades since the Iraq war, the American left has engaged in an ever more lively and far-reaching debate about US foreign policy, and what it should really be for. As both an astute observer and participant in those debates, Van Jackson has produced an enormously valuable contribution, one that will help move this important discussion forward.’ Matt Duss, Executive Vice-President, Center for International Policy ‘This is an urgent and lucid dissection of the foreign policy challenges facing the left. Van Jackson brilliantly lays out the strengths and weaknesses of the major progressive grand strategies, while also highlighting methods of demilitarizing US foreign policy and pushing international relations in the direction of equity, sustainability, and peace. It should be on the bedside table of every activist and policymaker.’ John Feffer, Director, Foreign Policy in Focus at the Institute for Policy Studies ‘Van Jackson masterfully unravels the intricate tapestry of progressive foreign policy in its varied shades throughout this seminal book. While providing much-needed clarity, he deftly avoids oversimplifying the complexities and inherent overlaps within the left's grand strategies. His analysis reveals both the critical points of contention and potential synergies. An indispensable guide for those keen on understanding the progressive vision for reshaping global paradigms.’ Nancy Okail, President and CEO, Center for International Policy ‘The last decade has seen a renaissance in progressive foreign policy thought. Van Jackson is one of its most creative and incisive intellectuals. In Grand Strategies of the Left, he provides scholars, students, policymakers, and analysts with an invaluable map of ’state of the art’ in progressive thinking about foreign policy. He also offers his own, bold vision for a grand strategy worthy of progressive values. This is a must-read for anyone - left, right, or center - interested in US foreign policy.’ Daniel Nexon, Professor of Government and Foreign Service, Georgetown University ‘Liberal internationalist pundits routinely excoriate the left for failing to be ‘realistic’ about US foreign policy. Van Jackson blows that critique out of the water. Clear, punchy, and brilliantly argued, Grand Strategies of the Left exposes the wildly fantastical, dangerous, and imperialist reality of the security status quo while providing a robustly pragmatic alternative to US hegemony. This is the book you want to give your ‘progressive’ friends to help them connect the dots between domestic and international politics and imagine a more secure, egalitarian, and peaceful future for the world.’ Jeanne Morefield, Associate Professor of Political Theory, University of Oxford

Author Information

Van Jackson is a Professor of International Relations at Victoria University of Wellington and a Senior Research Scholar at Security in Context, where he co-directs the Multipolarity, Great-Power Competition, and the Global South project. A leading voice of progressive foreign policy thought, Jackson is also the author of Pacific Power Paradox (2023).

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