Despite its status as the world's lone superpower, the United States confronts a variety of serious challenges in the world today: ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, nuclear tensions involving Iran and North Korea, and strained American relations with allies in the European Union and the United Nations. In updating their book, authors Hook and Spanier find that these new developments are in keeping with the overarching theme of their classic text—that there is an American “style” of foreign policy imbued with a distinct sense of national exceptionalism. Through a thorough understanding of the United States’ past actions, students can then fully grasp the functions and frequent dysfunctions of the nation’s foreign-policy process.

Providing a lively and concise review of the conduct of American foreign policy since World War II, early chapters are strengthened by new historical findings, while recent developments since 9/11 receive thorough treatment and analysis. A stand-alone chapter on the Iraq War provides essential historical context as well as a detailed assessment of recent events across the Middle East. The book’s presentation and usefulness are enhanced by new tables and figures, updated photos and maps, and annotated web resources.

Maps and Featured Figures
Preface

1. The American Approach to Foreign Policy
Learning from Experience
The Volatile State System
The American Sense of Destiny
Self-Doubts, Revisionism, and Social Construction

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

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
Nuclear Strategy and the “Balance of Terror”

4. Developing Countries in the Crossfire
Obstacles to Political and Economic Development
Clashing Models of Economic Development
Regional Conflicts in Africa and the Middle East
U.S. Policy toward Latin America
Superpower Confrontation in Cuba

5. Vietnam and the Cost of Containment
France's Ejection from Vietnam
The “Domino Theory” and U.S. Intervention
The Perils of Incrementalism
The Misconduct of Guerrilla Warfare
Disengagement from Vietnam
Congress versus the “Imperial Presidency”

6. Détente and World Order Politics
Managing the Superpower Rivalry
Arms Control and the Linkage Strategy
Dissillusionment with Détente
Carter's Quest for World Order
Recognizing Global Interdependence
Carter's Middle East Breakthrough
Blowbak and the Soviet Power Play

7. The Revival of Superpower Confrontation
Reagan’s Rhetorical Offensive
Expanding U.S. Military Forces
“Rollback” in Developing Countries
Alliance Politics in the Late Cold War
From Confrontation to Conciliation

8. 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

9. America’s “Unipolar Moment”
Great Expectations after the Cold War
Revived Debates about America’s World Role
Clinton’s Embrace of “Geoeconomics”
Promoting Democracy and Sustainable Development
Domestic Challenges to Clinton’s Foreign Policy

10. Old Tensions in a New Order
Sources of Global Fragmentation
War and Peace in the Middle East
The Plight of “Failed States”
Nuclear Brinkmanship in South Asia
Lessons from the Regional Crises

11. 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

12. 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

13. Hot Wars in Afghanistan and Iraq
The Afghanistan Campaign
Renewed Hostilities against Iraq
Back to Vietnam?

14. A World of Trouble
New Threats of Nuclear Proliferation
An Israeli-Palestinian Stalemate
Economic Strains and Challenges
Threats to Democracy at Home
Global Orders and American Power

Appendix A: U.S.Administrations since World War II
Appendix B: Chronology of Significant Events
Select Bibliography
Index

“Always up-to-date, with new editions that follow new events, American Foreign Policy Since World War II sets the standard for texts on the subject. Seamlessly blending historical and conceptual analysis, Hook and Spanier offer students a substantive foundation to build on. Perfect for majors and non-majors alike, its utility in the classroom is unparalleled. More than a textbook, the pages weave a compelling argument about American political culture that students remember. By shunning minutia in favor of essential concepts and tendencies that characterize American foreign policy, Hook and Spanier challenge students to question how political culture--not simply politics and personalities--influence America’s global behavior.”

“The Hook and Spanier text provides a superb background for a course on U.S. Foreign Policy with an emphasis on both history and the policy process. Students with little background in the post-World War II U.S. role are provided thorough, yet relatively concise information. The chapters that deal with events and policies since September 11, 2001 are especially useful and thought-provoking. American Foreign Policy Since World War II is an essential tool for any U.S. Foreign Policy course.”

“This is an exceptionally well-written book that provides an engaging and concise review of American foreign policy since World War II.”

“In laudably incorporating relevant concepts and doctrines, American Foreign Policy Since World War II is a gem for students as a compendium introduction to United States foreign policy in the post-war period. The thematically organized book illustrates the continuity and change in American foreign policy for successive administrations, including for the current Bush Administration in the post-9/11 world. Hook and Spanier continues to fill a void with this lucidly written diplomatic history in providing the necessary foundation for a decision-making approach to United States foreign policy.”

“In my course, students must have a sound background in what actually happened in U.S. foreign policy since the end of World War II. Hook and Spanier provide this historical background in a manner which is concise and readable. Once the students have a firm grasp of the history, I can then proceed to talk about theories, concepts, patterns, and processes.”

“This text is simply the most readable text on the market for students of U.S. foreign policy in the last half century. Students find the book stimulating and extremely informative. It is most helpful in providing the necessary background students need to discuss and debate recent issues in American foreign policy.”

John Spanier received his PhD from Yale University. Since joining the faculty of the University of Florida in 1957, Spanier has lectured at the U.S. State Department’s Foreign Service Institute, the Naval War College, military service academies, and several universities. Among his many other books is Games Nations Play.

Steven W. Hook is associate professor of political science at Kent State University. He is the author of U.S. Foreign Policy: The Paradox of World Power (2005), National Interest and Foreign Aid (1995), and editor of Comparative Foreign Policy: Adaptation Strategies of the Great and Emerging Powers (2002) and Foreign Aid Toward the Millennium (1996). He is a past president of the Foreign Policy Analysis sections of the American Political Science Association and the International Studies Association.