The Myth of American Diplomacy; National Identity and U.S. Foreign Policy

by Walter L. Hixson

• ISBN13: 9780300119121
• ISBN10: 0300119127
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2008-03-03
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

In this major reconceptualization of the history of U.S. foreign policy, Walter Hixson engages with the entire sweep of that history, from its Puritan beginnings to the twenty-first century's war on terror. He contends that a mythical national identity, which includes the notion of American moral superiority and the duty to protect all of humanity, has had remarkable continuity through the centuries, repeatedly propelling America into war against an endless series of external enemies. As this myth has supported violence, violence in turn has supported the myth. The Myth of American Diplomacyshows the deep connections between American foreign policy and the domestic culture from which it springs. Hixson investigates the national narratives that help to explain ethnic cleansing of Indians, nineteenth-century imperial thrusts in Mexico and the Philippines, the two World Wars, the Cold War, the Iraq War, and today's war on terror. He examines the discourses within America that have continuously inspired what he calls our "pathologically violent foreign policy." The presumption that, as an exceptionally virtuous nation, the United States possesses a special right to exert power only encourages violence, Hixson concludes, and he suggests some fruitful ways to redirect foreign policy toward a more just and peaceful world.

Author Biography

Walter L. Hixson is professor and chair, Department of History, University of Akron.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. ix
Introduction: The Myth of America	p. 1
Birth of a Nation	p. 17
The White Man's Continent	p. 43
Reunite and Conquer	p. 74
Imperial Crises	p. 102
Choosing War	p. 132
Wars Good and Cold	p. 163
Militarization and Countersubversion	p. 192
Neocolonial Nightmares	p. 214
Patriotic Revival	p. 245
September 11 and the Global Crusade	p. 277
Conclusion: Toward a New Hegemony	p. 305
Discourse and Disciplinary Knowledge	p. 309
Gramscian Cultural Hegemony	p. 313
Postmodernism	p. 315
Identity and Lacanian Psychoanalytic Theory	p. 317
Notes	p. 319
Works Cited	p. 341
Index	p. 369
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