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Zachary C. Shirkey argues that the United States is overly reliant on the active use of force and should employ more peaceful foreign policy tools. Force often fails to achieve its desired ends for both tactical and strategic reasons and is relatively infungible, making it an inappropriate tool for many US foreign policy goals. Rather than relying on loose analogies or common sense as many books on US grand strategy do, American Dove bases its argument directly on an eclectic mix of academic literature, including realist, liberal, and constructivist theory as well as psychology. Shirkey also argues against retrenchment strategies, such as offshore balancing and strategic restraint as lacking a moral component that leaves them vulnerable to hawkish policies that employ moral arguments in favor of action. US withdrawal would weaken the existing liberal international security, economic, and legal orders—orders that benefit the United States. Rather, the book argues the United States needs an energetic foreign policy that employs passive uses of force such as deterrence and nonmilitary tools such as economic statecraft, international institutions, international law, and soft power. Such a policy leaves room for a moral component, which is necessary for mobilizing the American public and would uphold the existing international order. Last, Shirkey argues that to be successful, doves must frame their arguments in terms of strategy rather than in terms of costs and must show that dovish policies are consistent with national honor and a broad range of American values. American Dove offers a framework for US grand strategy and a plan for persuading the public to adopt it.

The post-Cold War era has given rise to new issues and disputes. Ethnic and nationalist violence disturb the peace and pose special problems for the strongest states and the United Nations. Beyond Confrontation: Learning Conflict Resolution in the Post-Cold War Era gives an overview of possible conflict resolution techniques that can be used to help manage and prevent these kinds of disputes in today's new world order. It outlines how to go beyond power politics and establish a politics of resolution. During the Cold War, traditional techniques of conflict resolution were neglected since they were thought to be irrelevant and generally inapplicable to the relations between states. In the meantime, a vast literature and practice on conflict resolution has grown up on the domestic level that has been largely ignored by international politics specialists. The contributors to this volume cull this literature for the insights it can shed on the process of developing worldwide stability. Moreover, they go beyond traditional discipline boundaries and bring to bear the best current work in political science, social psychology, law, management, sociology, and ethics on the important task of creating a more peaceful world order. Contributors include James Turner Johnson, John A. Vasquez, Robert A. Baruch Bush, Ronald J. Fisher, Deborah M. Kolb, Eileen E Babbitt, Louis Kriesberg, Dean G. Pruitt, John W. Burton, and Charles E Doran.

Conflict Resolution in the Twenty-first Centuryis not only an essential introduction for students and scholars, it is a must-have guide for the men and women entrusted with creating stability and security in our changing world.