CQ Press: Book: Guide to U.S. Foreign Policy: A Diplomatic History, Robert McMahon , Thomas Zeiler

Guide to U.S. Foreign Policy: A Diplomatic History
Robert McMahon, Ohio State University
Thomas Zeiler, University of Colorado-Boulder
Editors

At no time in American history has an understanding of the role and the art of diplomacy in international relations been more essential than it is today. Both the history of U.S. diplomatic relations and the current U.S. foreign policy in the twenty-first century are major topics of study and interest across the nation and around the world.

Spanning the entire history of American diplomacy—from the First Continental Congress to the war on terrorism to the foreign policy goals of the twenty-first century—Guide to U.S. Foreign Policy traces not only the growth and development of diplomatic policies and traditions but also the shifts in public opinion that shape diplomatic trends. This comprehensive, two-volume reference shows how the United States gained “the strength of a giant” and also analyzes key world events that have determined the United States’ changing relations with other nations.

The two volumes’ structure makes the key concepts and issues accessible to researchers:

The set is broken up into seven parts that feature 40 topical and historical chapters in which expert writers cover the diplomatic initiatives of the United States from colonial times through the present day.
Volume II’s appendix showcases an A-to-Z handbook of diplomatic terms and concepts, organizations, events, and issues in American foreign policy.
The appendix also includes a master bibliography and a list of presidents; secretaries of state, war, and defense; and national security advisers and their terms of service.

This unique reference highlights the changes in U.S. diplomatic policy as government administrations and world events influenced national decisions. Topics include imperialism, economic diplomacy, environmental diplomacy, foreign aid, wartime negotiations, presidential influence, NATO and its role in the twenty-first century, and the response to terrorism. Additional featured topics include the influence of the American two-party system, the impact of U.S. elections, and the role of the United States in international organizations. Guide to U.S. Foreign Policy is the first comprehensive reference work in this field that is both historical and thematic. This work is of immense value for researchers, students, and others studying foreign policy, international relations, and U.S history.

ABOUT THE EDITORS

Robert J. McMahon is the Ralph D. Mershon Professor of History in the Mershon Center for International Security Studies at The Ohio State University. He is a leading historian of American diplomatic history and is author of several books on U.S. foreign relations.

Thomas W. Zeiler is professor of history and international affairs at the University of Colorado at Boulder and is the executive editor of the journal Diplomatic History.

Reviews

An unbiased, factual review of historical periods and subjects that is suitable for college and adult researchers. - Library Journal

The uniform structuring of the essays helps make the contents accessible to a wide readership that includes the general public and students high school level and above. - Book News, Inc.

With its thematic and chronological structure,Guide to U.S. Foreign Policy: A Diplomatic History offers a different, but equally valuable approach to that found in more traditionally-structured references like Oxford University Press' Encyclopedia of US. Foreign Relations (1997, 978-0195110555). It also serves to update the broad topical essays in Scribner's Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy (2001, 978-0684806570). As such, this current set makes an excellent complement to these two classic titles and should find its way onto numerous academic library shelves. Some larger public libraries where there is patron interest would also do well to consider it. - Against the Grain

Bio(s)

Robert McMahon, Ohio State University

Robert McMahon is the Ralph D. Mershon Professor of History in the Mershon Center for International Security Studies at The Ohio State University. He is a leading historian of American diplomatic history and is author of several books on U.S. foreign relations.

Thomas Zeiler, University of Colorado-Boulder

Thomas W. Zeiler is professor of history and international affairs at the University of Colorado at Boulder and is the executive editor of the journal Diplomatic History. He will become chair of the State Department’s Committee on Historical Diplomatic Documentation in 2012.

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