Summary of Elbridge A. Colby's The Strategy of Denial

By IRB Media

Get the Summary of Elbridge A. Colby's The Strategy of Denial in 20 minutes. Please note: This is a summary & not the original book. Original book introduction: Elbridge A. Colby was the lead architect of the 2018 National Defense Strategy, the most significant revision of U.S. defense strategy in a generation. Here he lays out how America’s defense must change to address China’s growing power and ambition. Based firmly in the realist tradition but deeply engaged in current policy, this book offers a clear framework for what America’s goals in confronting China must be, how its military strategy must change, and how it must prioritize these goals over its lesser interests.

• Language: English
• Publisher: IRB Media
• Release date: Dec 6, 2021
• ISBN: 9781669341581

IRB Media

With IRB books, you can get the key takeaways and analysis of a book in 15 minutes. We read every chapter, identify the key takeaways and analyze them for your convenience.

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Insights on Elbridge A. Colby's The Strategy of Denial

Contents

Insights from Chapter 1

Insights from Chapter 2

Insights from Chapter 3

Insights from Chapter 4

Insights from Chapter 5

Insights from Chapter 6

Insights from Chapter 7

Insights from Chapter 8

Insights from Chapter 9

Insights from Chapter 10

Insights from Chapter 11

Insights from Chapter 1

#1

The first step in developing a strategy for addressing the American national security dilemma is to identify the country's core national objectives. These are: maintain the nation's territorial integrity and security, sustain a free and autonomous political system, and enable economic growth and prosperity.

#2

To ensure its security, freedom, and prosperity, any country, including the United States, has a most powerful interest in ensuring a favorable balance of power with respect to its key interests. This means building and maintaining favorable military-economic balances of power around the world.

#3

The United States must address the threat of violent force, as this is the ultimate form of coercive leverage. And because violence is the most important element of power, military power is necessary to regulate it.

#4

The United States is definitely the most powerful country in the world, but it is also extremely vulnerable. If other countries combined their power against the US, they could coerce the US with respect to its security, freedom, and prosperity.

#5

The United States is the most powerful country in the world. It has the most economic and military leverage, and therefore is the most important country in the world from a geopolitical standpoint.

#6

Asia, Europe, and North America are the most important theaters for global politics. If a state can gain control of one of these theaters, it can gain leverage in a region and subsequently control it.

#7

The United States should be most concerned about a state or states gaining control of one or more of the key regions in the world, as this would allow that state to exert leverage over the United States.

#8

China is the world’s second-largest economy and is quickly becoming the most populous country in the world. It has the capacity to translate its economic might into military might, giving it the potential to become a hegemonic power.

#9

The United States is the only hegemon in the world, and will always be the only hegemon in the world because it is so wealthy and powerful. The only two states that could conceivably challenge the US position as the only hegemon are China and Russia, but both of these countries are too preoccupied with their own problems to challenge the United States at the moment.

#10

China has already demonstrated its willingness to manipulate its currency in order to gain an economic advantage over other countries, and it has already set up an economic bloc anchored in Asia. If China were to establish hegemony over Asia, the US economy would take a huge hit.

#11

China is seeking to create an economic bloc that would rival America’s. It would allow China to shape its own social and political future, while at the same time maintaining its economic dominance.

#12

China could discriminate against the United States by excluding it from or disfavoring its engagements in