American Power: Security Burden or Security Blessing?

Understanding power comes from looking at it in the context of dynamic changes both in the nature of power and the nature of adversary and the context of interactions. Traditionally, power has been defined and measured by quantitative indicators of hard power, given conventional battlefield strategy and conventional weapons state adversaries are likely to use. Today, hard power still remains an important component of state power. Yet, in light of the changing nature of the international environment, and given that states find themselves increasingly reliant on their soft power internationally and constrained by limits of their extractive capacity domestically, hard power has become a less relevant tool for addressing asymmetric threats. The present paper suggests the need not only to recognize strengths offered by the increased complexity of the American power, but also to recognize its vulnerabilities. While the US is well-equipped to combat threats that come from states, different elements of its power have become increasingly vulnerable to attacks that come from violent, non-state actors (VNSAs). ..PAT.-Unpublished Manuscript [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]