A Concise History of U.s. Foreign Policy

by Kaufman, Joyce P.

• ISBN13: 9780742567092
• ISBN10: 0742567095
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2009-12-15
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Pub Inc

Summary

Now in a fully updated edition, A Concise History of U.S. Foreign Policy offers a conceptual and historical overview of American foreign relations from the founding to the present. Compact and accessible, the text provides students with a clear and concise understanding of key decisions and why they were made. Joyce Kaufman introduces the major themes that have driven the making of U.S. foreign policy, with an emphasis on the importance of economics and trade as well as the relevant political issues of the time to both describe and explain critical decisions. Beginning with the question 'what is foreign policy and why is it important?' the author shows the reader how foreign policy is relevant to everyone, and in some way touches all our lives. The book develops the themes historically to show how various presidents and administrations built upon the past, and where they set a new course and why. Kaufman pays particular attention to the Cold War and beyond, with a chapter devoted specifically to the changes in direction of American foreign policy as a result of September 11. She concludes with a look forward to challenges the United States will face in the coming decades. With its strong narrative and use of compelling case studies, the book engages students fully in this crucial topic, encouraging them to form their own ideas about American foreign policy.

Author Biography

Joyce P. Kaufman is professor of political science and director of the Whittier Scholars Program at Whittier College.

Table of Contents

Preface to the Second Edition	p. ix
Setting the Stage for Understanding U.S. Foreign Policy	p. 1
Introduction to U.S. Foreign Policy	p. 4
What Is Foreign Policy?	p. 8
Foreign Policy Orientations	p. 14
Theory and Context	p. 17
Identifying Themes	p. 18
Who Makes Foreign Policy and Why Are Particular Decisions Made?	p. 19
Who Is Affected by U.S. Foreign Policy Decisions?	p. 24
Setting the Stage	p. 27
Unilateralism to Engagement: The Founding to the End of World War I	p. 31
The Beginning	p. 32
Manifest Destiny, the Monroe Doctrine, and Westward Expansion	p. 36
The Civil War	p. 41
The Spanish-American War	p. 42
The Scramble for Concessions	p. 44
The Roosevelt Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine	p. 45
March to World War I	p. 46
U.S. Involvement in Russia	p. 50
Domestic Issues: The Executive and Legislative Branches	p. 51
The Shifting National Interest	p. 52
Applying Foreign Policy Concepts: The Spanish-American War	p. 54
The Interwar Years through World War II	p. 57
Interwar America	p. 58
War	p. 66
The United Nations: Defining the Postwar World	p. 70
The End of Isolationism	p. 72
Applying Foreign Policy Concepts: Realism versus Idealism in International Organizations	p. 74
The Cold War	p. 77
The Early Years of the Cold War	p. 79
1947: The Truman Doctrine and the Marshall Plan	p. 84
The Escalation of the Cold War: Berlin to Korea	p. 89
Eisenhower	p. 94
The Kennedy Years	p. 97
Johnson: Vietnam and the Great Society	p. 100
Nixon	p. 104
Carter	p. 109
Growing Engagement	p. 110
Applying Foreign Policy Concepts: The Tonkin Gulf Resolution and the Lessons of Vietnam	p. 111
Beyond the Cold War: Reagan through Clinton	p. 115
From Cold War to Democratic Revolutions	p. 116
George H. W. Bush and the "New World Order"	p. 121
The Clinton Years	p. 125
Rethinking Foreign Policy Prior to 9/11	p. 134
Applying Foreign Policy Concepts: The Use of U.S. Troops for Humanitarian Purposes	p. 135
September 11 and After	p. 139
Foreign Policy Before and After September 11	p. 140
September 11 and the Responses	p. 142
The Obama Administration: The First Year	p. 153
Bush versus Obama	p. 162
Applying Foreign Policy Concepts: Response to September 11	p. 163
The Future of U.S. Foreign Policy	p. 167
The Cold War as a Framework for U.S. Foreign Policy	p. 167
The Actors and the Domestic Balance of Power	p. 174
Challenges to U.S. Foreign Policy in the Future	p. 175
Notes	p. 177
Suggested Readings	p. 207
Books	p. 207
Websites	p. 208
Index	p. 211
About the Author	p. 223
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