American Foreign Policy Since World War II

Hook and Spanier’s classic text celebrates its Twentieth Edition with more of the context and analysis that has long made it the standard for guiding students through the complexities of American foreign policy. With each new edition, recent developments confirm the book’s overarching theme—that there is an American “style” of foreign policy imbued with a distinct sense of national exceptionalism. Giving students the historical context they need, the book allows them to grasp the functions and frequent dysfunctions of the nation’s evolving foreign policy agenda. In this new edition, chapters covering the end of the Cold War have been combined and streamlined, making room for a new chapter that examines the aftershocks of the Arab Spring, political breakdowns in Iraq and Afghanistan, and the rise of the Islamic State. The final chapter considers the revival of power politics in world politics, with Russia and China stepping up their attempts to weaken the United States and create a multipolar world. The book ends by reconsidering America’s distinctive style of foreign policy and its resilience amid such turbulence since World War II.