ABSTRACT
This chapter outlines a new core to US security policy that addresses the changed central strategic problem. It examines the verities and implications of the contemporary security environment; analyzes the threat and the resulting challenge and tasks; and presents a follow-on theory of engagement. The genius of Kennan's theory of engagement is that it combined the realism of power politics with the pragmatism of US idealism. Legitimate governance is inherently stable because it has the political competence and societal support to adequately manage internal change and conflict affecting collective and individual well-being. As a result, legitimate governance is not just a relic of US democratic idealism. The first defining element that dictates response is the relationship of legitimate governance to stability and instability. In the post-cold war strategic environment, a legitimate governance theory of engagement should be a guide to US and allied actions.
