I’ve incurred many intellectual, professional, and personal debts in writing this book, and I offer my sincere thanks to those who inspired me to write it and helped me bring it to fruition.
The topic of sovereignty has fascinated me since my first undergraduate class in world politics at Stanford University—taught by Stephen D. Krasner, who would later write the definitive theoretical work on the concept. That early exposure came in handy two decades later when I became a fellow on the State Department’s policy planning staff. Its director, Richard N. Haass, asked me one day to craft a speech on “Sovereignty: Existing Rights, Evolving Responsibilities.” A daunting assignment, given Richard’s reputation as an exacting boss. Some twelve drafts later he pronounced the text acceptable, allowing me to move on to related topics. I spent the next few years analyzing the connection between weak sovereignty in the developing world and transnational security threats such as terrorism and infectious disease.
What increasingly fascinated me, though, was my own country’s attitude toward sovereignty—and the often explosive U.S. domestic debates it sparks. I learned just how volatile my fellow Americans’ feelings could run when I began directing a program on international institutions and global governance at the Council on Foreign Relations (CFR). I received quite a bit of colorful email. The most jarring missive had a three-word subject line: “Sovereignty and Treason.” My correspondent provided stylized definitions of those concepts, and then closed with these cautionary words: “I just want to warn you that if there were ever a change of regime in this country, you might well be brought before a tribunal for the crime of treachery against the United States of America.”
I explained to my new pen pal that he’d misunderstood the motivations behind our initiative, which was predicated on cooperation among sovereign states. But I was indebted to him nonetheless. He spurred me to explore how Americans conceive of sovereignty, how those notions have evolved since the republic’s founding, and how they inform U.S. attitudes toward international organizations, treaties, alliances, and law. And the deeper I looked, the more I realized that although most Americans regard “sovereignty” as sacred, they often use it to mean very different things—and talk past each other as a result. The way out of this predicament begins with realizing that sovereignty has distinct components, and that these don’t always go together.
I could not have written this book without the insights of innumerable scholars, whose contributions I reference in my endnotes. I owe a special debt to Marty Finnemore, Michael Barnett, and Miles Kahler, as well as two anonymous reviewers, each of whom read the entire manuscript and provided incisive comments. Ted Alden and Matt Waxman, two thoughtful CFR colleagues, critiqued specific chapters. My ideas for the book were also enriched by conversations during the annual Princeton workshop on global governance, which I’ve had the privilege to co-organize with John Ikenberry, Alan Alexandroff, Bruce Jones, Tom Wright, Keith Porter, and Jennifer Smyser.
I can’t say enough about my wonderful CFR colleagues, both past and present, who offered superb research assistance and editorial advice on this project as members of the International Institutions and Global Governance (IIGG) program that I direct. I thank Megan Roberts, my fabulous associate director, and her dynamic predecessor, Isabella Bennett, as well as several talented research associates, including Naomi Egel, Daniel Chardell, Martin Willner, Theresa Lou, Claire Schachter, and Ryan Kaminski, in addition to my wise program coordinator, Terry Mullan. None of my team’s work would have been possible, of course, without the generous backing of the Robina Foundation, which has supported IIGG since its creation. In January 2017 the Robina Board provided resources to establish the James H. Binger Chair in Global Governance at CFR, an endowed position named for the philanthropist whose bequest created the foundation, and which I am honored to hold.
I thank the Council’s president, Richard N. Haass—my boss a second time—for supporting this project and pushing me to ask the important questions. I’m grateful to James M. Lindsay, vice president and director of the David Rockefeller Studies Program at CFR, for his invaluable feedback and guidance—including his admonition to write in “plain English.” I thank the entire studies team, especially Amy Baker, for their support. Throughout the writing and publishing process, I had the good fortune to work with the terrific Trish Dorff and her crack team in CFR’s publications department. Thanks also to Irina Faskianos, the tireless head of CFR’s national program, and to CFR’s communications and marketing team, particularly Iva Zoric, Anya Schmemman, and Jenny Mallamo, for helping me spread the word to multiple audiences.
I was fortunate to work with the talented Bill Finan and his colleagues at Brookings Institution Press, as well as with John Donohue of Westchester Publishing Services. I’m grateful for their efficiency and professionalism in getting this book to press—and hopefully to a bookstore (or online retailer) near you.
Finally, I owe a huge debt to my three lively and fast-growing children, Oliver, Henry, and Iona. Every day, they remind me what is important in life.