<i>A World Safe for Commerce</i> by Dale C. Copeland: A Comment and a Lesson

Abstract Motivated by Dale Copeland's book, A World Safe for Commerce, this article examines the relationship between America's economic and strategic interests in its foreign policy. While agreeing with Copeland that economic variables must be incorporated into realist logic, the article elaborates on why merging a realist logic with one based on individual market activity is difficult. To make that case, the article takes up a question that is central in Copeland's book: why and when would we expect the United States to trade with an adversary? To answer that query, the article focuses on the history of the U.S. trading relationship with China, unpacking its origins and asking why, even as the relationship between the two nations has become increasingly conflictual, attempts at decoupling have been so difficult.