“Speak softly and carry a huge stick” Theodore Roosevelt famously stated in 1901, when america was emerging seeing that an excellent power. It was the right sentiment, perhaps, in an age of imperial rivalry. But today many Americans doubt the energy of their global armed forces presence, thinking it outdated, unneeded, or even dangerous.

In THE BEST Stick, Eliot A. Cohen-a scholar and specialist of international relations-disagrees. He argues that hard power continues to be needed for American foreign about THE BEST Stick: The Limits of Gentle Power and the need of Military Drive plan. While acknowledging that america must be careful about why, when, and how it uses pressure, he insists that its international role is really as vital as ever, and armed force is vital to that role.

Cohen explains that American leaders must figure out how to use really difficult power in fresh ways as well as for fresh situations. The rise of a well-armed China, Russia’s conquest of Crimea and eastern Ukraine, nuclear risks from North Korea and Iran, as well as the spread of radical Islamist actions like ISIS are a number of the essential dangers to global tranquility. If the United States relinquishes its position as a strong but prudent armed forces power and fails to accept its role as the guardian of a well balanced world purchase, we run the risk of unleashing disorder, violence, and tyranny on a scale not seen since the 1930s. The United States is still, as Madeleine Albright once dubbed it, “the indispensable nation.”