American Foreign Policy Since World War II

by Hook, Steven W.; Spanier, John W.

• ISBN13: 9781568025780
• ISBN10: 1568025785
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2000-09-01
• Publisher: Cq Pr

Summary

The U.S. enters the 21st century uncertain of its international role. Despite its economic and military predominance in the post Cold War era, the U.S. struggles as a nation, propelled toward detachment yet engaged in moral crusading.

Table of Contents

Map and Featured Figures	x
Preface	xi
The American Approach to Foreign Policy	1	(23)
Learning from Experience	4	(2)
The Volatile State System	6	(4)
The American National Style	10	(9)
Self-Doubts and Revisionist Histories	19	(5)
From World War to Cold War	24	(28)
American Wartime Illusions	25	(4)
The Russo-Soviet Approach to Foreign Policy	29	(4)
Soviet Expansion after World War II	33	(5)
Toward the Strategy of Containment	38	(10)
Declaring Cold War: The Truman Doctrine	48	(4)
Containment: From Theory to Practice	52	(36)
New Economic and Military Structures	54	(3)
Reviving the Western European Allies	57	(11)
Confronting Revolution in East Asia	68	(11)
Domestic Pressures for a Global Crusade	79	(3)
Nuclear Strategy and the ``Balance of Terror''	82	(6)
Developing Countries in the Crossfire	88	(34)
Obstacles to Political and Economic Development	91	(9)
Clashing Models of Economic Development	100	(4)
Regional Conflicts in Africa and the Middle East	104	(5)
U.S. Policy toward Latin America	109	(4)
Superpower Confrontation in Cuba	113	(9)
Vietnam and the Cost of Containment	122	(27)
Ejection of the French from Vietnam	123	(3)
The `Domino Theory' and U.S. Intervention	126	(4)
The Perils of Incrementalism	130	(3)
The Misconduct of Guerrilla Warfare	133	(8)
Disengagement from Vietnam	141	(4)
Congress versus the `Imperial Presidency'	145	(4)
The Era of Superpower Detente	149	(26)
Managing the Superpower Rivalry	152	(11)
Arms Control as the Centerpiece of Detente	163	(3)
The Limitations of Detente	166	(6)
Disillusionment with Detente	172	(3)
Jimmy Carter and World-Order Politics	175	(26)
Recognizing Global Interdependence	177	(3)
A Focus on North-South Relations	180	(6)
Carter's Middle East Breakthrough	186	(5)
The Collapse of Carter's Foreign Policy	191	(7)
Lessons of World-Order Politics	198	(3)
The Revival of Superpower Confrontation	201	(31)
Reagan's Rhetorical Offensive	203	(2)
Expanding U.S. Military Forces	205	(5)
`Rollback' in Developing Countries	210	(11)
Alliance Politics in the Late Cold War	221	(7)
From Confrontation to Conciliation	228	(4)
The End of the Cold War	232	(29)
Bush's Management of the Soviet Collapse	233	(14)
Endgame: The Collapse of the Core	247	(5)
Reasons for the Soviet Collapse: Contending Arguments	252	(7)
A Final Appraisal	259	(2)
America's Unipolar Moment'	261	(29)
Great Expectations after the Cold War	265	(2)
Revived Debates about America's World Role	267	(5)
Clinton's Embrace of `Geoeconomics'	272	(9)
Promoting Democracy and Sustainable Development	281	(4)
Domestic Challenges to Clinton's Foreign Policy	285	(5)
Old Tensions in a New Order	290	(29)
Sources of Global Fragmentation	291	(2)
War and Peace in the Middle East	293	(12)
The Plight of `Failed States'	305	(7)
Nuclear Brinkmanship in South Asia	312	(3)
Lessons from the Regional Crises	315	(4)
The Shifting European Landscape	319	(31)
Western Europe: From Community to Union	321	(4)
Jump-Starting Democracy in Eastern Europe	325	(3)
NATO's Endurance after the Cold War	328	(3)
`Ethnic Cleansing' in the Balkans	331	(10)
U.S.-Russian Relations under Stress	341	(9)
Into the Twenty-first Century	350	(27)
Realism versus Moralism: The Current Debate	353	(5)
The Globalization Backlash	358	(7)
Unfinished Business after the Millennium	365	(9)
Future Prospects for American Leadership	374	(3)
Appendix A: U.S. Administrations since World War II	377	(1)
Appendix B: Chronology of Significant Events	378	(15)
Select Bibliography	393	(13)
Select Web Sites	406	(2)
Illustration Credits and Acknowledgments	408	(1)
Index	409