The Strategy of Denial
American Defense in an Age of Great Power Conflict

It is easier to defend a territory than to conquer one. This truism is at the heart of this book focused on U.S. strategies for preventing from consolidating a hegemonic superstate in Asia. Existing U.S. allies in the region should have their defenses built up as much as possible to deny China the o......more

I recommend The Strategy of Denial to anyone curious about how a second Trump administration may think and act in security affairs. The rest of the review is a critique of E. Colby`s argument, but going beyond my opinions, it`s an acceptable reading. It`s also good to state my biases: I think that R......more

The key sentence comes near the end of the book -- "That [best defense policy] standard will be hard and costly to attain, and it will require sustained focus and discipline -- but the alternatives are worse." One could say the same about fixing crime, poverty, the environment, racial injustice, eco......more

Bridge Colby has delivered a long overdue and analytical realist approach to current defense strategy in the era of great power competition. Focused primarily at counterbalancing China’s regional hegemony ambitions (because who else out there is really a US competitor in all IOPs?), this in depth ap......more

Nerd ish - realism meets the real world......more