American Foreign Policy Since World War II

Placing the actions of U.S. political leaders and military forces in the context of long-standing patterns of behavior, Hook and Spanier discuss how the global role of the United States will define international order for generations to come. More than a decade after the Cold War, the United States remains the most powerful country in the world. But its "unipolar moment" has hardly produced the peace and global prosperity that were expected when the Soviet Union collapsed in 1991. To the contrary, the current period is the most volatile since World War II, and the United States today confronts a bewildering array of challenges to its world role. The foreign policies of President George W. Bush, designed to extend the period of U.S. primacy and "pre-empt" overseas challenges, have altered U.S. foreign relations with all other countries, friends and foes alike. In their thoroughly revised 16th edition of American Foreign Policy, Steven W. Hook and John Spanier explore the conduct of American foreign policy at this crucial period in the nation's history by: closely examining the causes and implications of September 11thNo other event since World War II has so changed the face of American foreign policy, extending its security strategy beyond the system of states that defined international relations since the signing of the Treaty of Westphalia in 1648. The ongoing struggle with Iraq, meanwhile, reveals how conventional nation-states remain forces to be reckoned with. lluminating the real-world results of policy formulation with a focus on conductLong popular for its solid scholarship and readability, American Foreign Policy is an ideal core text for courses focusing on conduct, while a lively, informative supplement for courses emphasizing the process of American foreign policy. In either case, students gain a solid historical footing that is essential for understanding the relationship between the formulation of foreign policy and its real-world results.placing current problems in historic context As in previous editions, Hook and Spanier first explore the emergence of the United States as a global superpower after World War II and its subsequent struggle to "contain" communism throughout the world during the Cold War. The authors then focus on key regional struggles, balance of