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American Foreign Policy Since World War II
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American Foreign Policy Since World War II

21st Edition


January 2018 | 488 pages | CQ Press

“It is the best and most effectively presented history of US foreign policy available. It is extremely well written. Its accessibility is established by the book’s clear writing and presentation, with no sacrifice of the more challenging theoretical and policy debates regarding US foreign policy since 1945.”

—Glenn Palmer, Penn State University

The Gold Standard for Textbooks on American Foreign Policy

American Foreign Policy Since World War II provides students with an understanding of America’s current challenges by exploring its historical experience as the world’s predominant power since World War II. Through this process of historical reflection and insight, students become better equipped to place the current problems of the nation’s foreign policy agenda into modern policy context.

With each new edition, authors Steven W. Hook and John Spanier find that new developments in foreign policy conform to their overarching theme—there is an American “style” of foreign policy imbued with a distinct sense of national exceptionalism. This Twenty-First Edition continues to explore America’s unique national style with chapters that address the aftershocks of the Arab Spring and the revival of power politics. Additionally, an entirely new chapter devoted to the current administration discusses the implications of a changing American policy under the Trump presidency. 


 
Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
Chapter 1 The American Approach to Foreign Policy
Learning from Experience

 
The Roots of American Primacy

 
Destiny and Moral Mission

 
 
PART I THE COLD WAR
 
Chapter 2 From World War to Cold War
American Wartime Illusions

 
The Russo-Soviet Approach to Foreign Policy

 
Soviet Expansion after World War II

 
The Strategy of Containment

 
Declaring Cold War: The Truman Doctrine

 
 
Chapter 3 Containment: From Theory to Practice
New Economic and Military Structures

 
Reviving the Western European Allies

 
Confronting Revolution in East Asia

 
Domestic Pressures for a Global Crusade

 
Eisenhower’s “New Look” in Foreign Policy

 
 
Chapter 4 North-South Tensions and the Vietnam War
Developing Countries in the Crossfire

 
Regional Conflicts in Latin America

 
Vietnam: The Limits of Containment

 
 
Chapter 5 Détente and World-Order Politics
Managing the Superpower Rivalry

 
Carter’s Quest for World Order

 
War and Peace in the Middle East

 
Blowback and the Soviet Power Play

 
 
Chapter 6 Breakthroughs in the Superpower Struggle
Reagan’s Rhetorical Offensive

 
Expanding U.S. Military Forces

 
“Rollback” in Developing Countries

 
Alliance Politics in the Late Cold War

 
From Confrontation to Conciliation

 
 
Chapter 7 The End of the Cold War
Bush’s Management of the Soviet Collapse

 
Endgame: The Collapse of the Core

 
Reasons for the Soviet Collapse

 
A Final Appraisal

 
 
PART II THE NEW WORLD “DISORDER”
 
Chapter 8 Old Tensions in a New Order
Great Expectations after the Cold War

 
Bill Clinton’s Embrace of “Geoeconomics”

 
Sources of Global Fragmentation

 
War and Peace in the Middle East

 
The Plight of “Failed States”

 
Lessons from the Regional Crises

 
 
Chapter 9 The Shifting European Landscape
Western Europe: From Community to Union

 
Jump-Starting Democracy in Eastern Europe

 
NATO’s Search for a New Mission

 
“Ethnic Cleansing” in the Balkans

 
U.S.-Russian Relations under Stress

 
 
Chapter 10 America under Fire
Strains in the Unipolar Order

 
The Growing Threat of “Sacred Terror”

 
Terror in the Morning Sky

 
Elements of Counterterrorism

 
A Grand Strategy of Primacy and Preemption

 
 
Chapter 11 Hot Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
The Afghanistan Campaign

 
Renewed Hostilities against Iraq

 
Flashbacks to Vietnam

 
 
Chapter 12 Aftershocks of the Arab Spring
Obama’s Call for “Renewal”

 
Mass Demands for Democracy

 
Regime Change in Dangerous Places

 
Iraq’s Collapse and the ISIS Challenge

 
A Government in Shambles

 
The Afghan Muddle

 
 
Chapter 13 The Revival of Power Politics
Cold War II with Russia

 
China’s Pacific Challenge

 
Israel’s Shadow in the Middle East

 
Ongoing Threats of Nuclear Proliferation

 
 
Chapter 14 The End of the American Century?
Internal Threats to Democracy

 
Trump and Turmoil

 
Rethinking American Power

 
 
Appendix A: U.S. Administrations since World War II
 
Appendix B: Chronology of Significant Events, 1945–2017
 
Appendix C: Select Bibliography
 
Appendix D: Select Websites
 
Appendix E: Select Blogs on American Foreign Policy
 
Index
 
About the Authors

“This book offers a thorough and well-written account of US foreign policy in the post-WWII era. It is the most comprehensive work I have found on the subject and is an excellent resource for anyone seeking a detailed account of American behavior in the world in the last century.”

Timothy J. A. Passmore
The University of Colorado Boulder

“Hook and Spanier’s text is clear, concise, and it covers the period since the September 11 terrorist attacks more skillfully than any comparable text I’ve seen.”

John W. Mackey
College of General Studies, Boston University

“Hook and Spanier address the major points of American Foreign Policy in a concise, chronological order while also providing analysis of the major events of foreign policy. The authors do an excellent job of profiling policy from various angles without endorsing any one policy. The additional bibliography, electronic resources, and chronological chart all contribute to the overall quality of this book.”

Dr. Lori J. Owens, Professor of Political Science
Jacksonville State University

“It is the best and most effectively presented history of US foreign policy available. It is extremely well written. Its accessibility is established by the book’s clear writing and presentation, with no sacrifice of the more challenging theoretical and policy debates regarding US foreign policy since 1945.”

Glenn Palmer
Penn State University

“I like the historic overview” 

Andrea Grove
CSU Channel Islands
Key features
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
  • New content updates around the following topics:
    • Domestic and foreign policy under the Trump administration
    • The shifting role of the US in the balance of global power
    • Foreign interference in US elections
    • The rise of domestic populism
    • Nuclear brinkmanship in North Korea
    • Terrorism and counterterrorism on US soil
    • China’s growing influence and clashes in the South China Sea
  • Statistics, graphs, and tables have been updated to demonstrate the most recent trends in American foreign policy.

KEY FEATURES:
  • The text focuses on the conduct of American foreign policy rather than its formulation and provides students with detailed knowledge of the policymaking process, including legal and institutional restraints, bureaucratic behavior, and the demands posed by civil society.
  • Five appendixes are designed to stimulate informed, critical thinking during this epochal period in American history.
    • The first appendix identifies the most influential makers of foreign policy in U.S. administrations since World War II.
    • The second provides a chronology of important developments in world politics
    • The last three appendixes provide researchers with a comprehensive listing of publications, websites, and foreign policy blogs.

 


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