"Since the final collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, containment no longer defines U.S. grand strategy nor does it provide a geopolitical map for U.S. foreign policymakers. In The Obligation of Empire, James J. Hentz brings together original essays by leading scholars and policymakers to examine the widely varied grand strategy formulations and the potential heirs to containment at the outset of the twenty-first century." "The authors strive to make sense of the new world order by exploring the tensions between far-reaching global agendas and place-bound regionalist approaches. Applying their analysis to some of the most important policy questions of the twenty-first century, the contributors to The Obligation of Empire seek to reconcile the awesome weight of history with the uncertain challenges of the future."--BOOK JACKET.