Abstract

SA, Tiago Moreira de. The strategic debate behind the US presidential electios. Relações Internacionais [online]. 2012, n.34, pp.89-106. ISSN 1645-9199.

The strategic debate behind the us presidential elections is ruled by two distinct schools of thought about what should be the Grand Strategy of the United States for today. The first one, academically represented by Christopher Layne and championed by Barack Obama, believes that a transition is in course, in the international system, from unipolarity to multipolarity, as a result of the United States’ relative downfall and the “rise of the rest”, and that the country should adopt a Grand Strategy of offshore balancing. The second one, headed by authors such as Robert Kagan and seconded by Mitt Romney, rejects the assumption of a shift in power and advocates the furtherance of the Grand Strategy of global dominance or global hegemony.

Keywords : US presidential elections; Grand Strategy; offshore balancing; global dominance.

        · abstract in Portuguese     · text in Portuguese     · Portuguese ( pdf )