ABSTRACT
The United States has been on an intellectual roller coaster over matters of national security, and more specifically the role of force, for the last quarter century. When the Cold War ended, it left a conceptual void about how to think about and conduct national security policy. The 1990s provided a physical and intellectual respite of sorts from the militarily dominated competition, and new influences like economic globalization arose in a system where the United States was the sole remaining superpower. After 9/11, the global war on terrorism (GWOT) returned military power to a more central role in international relations. These events and their implications create the context of the ongoing debate about future policy.
