Public Choice Theory and the Illusion of Grand Strategy

Bryan Caplan's application of public choice theory to foreign policy — arguing that the concept of coherent national 'grand strategy' is largely an illusion produced by bureaucratic incentives and self-interested decision-makers.

Public choice critique of grand strategy: the book argues that 'grand strategy' — the coherent, long-term pursuit of national interest through coordinated policy — rarely exists in practice because the bureaucratic and political incentives of foreign policy actors (military, diplomatic, intelligence) systematically diverge from national interest. Decisions emerge from interest group competition, not strategic coherence. A public choice critique of the realist IR tradition's assumption of unitary rational state actors.