A Concise History of U.S. Foreign Policy

By: Joyce P. Kaufman

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Paperback | 5 August 2021 | Edition Number 5

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344 Pages

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23.1 x 15.3 x 2.0

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Now in a fully updated edition that goes through the Trump administration and the election and formative period of the Biden administration, this compact and accessible introduction offers a historical perspective on the evolution of U.S. foreign policy from the founding of the country to the present. Joyce P. Kaufman provides students and general readers with a clear and concise understanding of key foreign-policy decisions and why they were made.

She identifies the major themes that have guided foreign policy and the reasons that the United States pursued certain policies in the context of specific periods in the nation's history. Kaufman focuses on the major actors involved in the making of foreign policy and the changing relationships among them. She also explains the major theoretical perspectives within international relations and contextualizes key foreign policy decisions as they fit these frameworks.

This edition puts a particular focus on the creation of Cold War foreign policy, and why the end of the Cold War has continued to be such a challenge to the United States. Kaufman concludes with a look at the threat that the United States is facing and will continue to face, including existential threats such as climate change and disease, and how Americans can be prepared to face them.

About the Author

Joyce P. Kaufman is professor emerita of political science at Whittier College. Her books include Introduction to International Relations: Theory and Practice.

Industry Reviews

More than simply a summary of key events, Kaufman's book offers a readable, comprehensive, and analytically sound interpretation of the events and themes that have characterized the history and politics of American foreign policy since this country's founding. Among other revisions, the new edition provides a sobering description of the human costs of continental expansion by adding a section on the government's forced relocation of Native Americans in the Southeast to territories west of the Mississippi River. Updated to include Biden's first one hundred days in office, the book includes an unsparing account of the Trump presidency--from Russian involvement in the 2016 election to Trump's upending of policies and policy-making processes that had governed American foreign policy since the end of World War II. The new edition includes chronologies of key events and links to important primary documents, both of which will prove useful to undergraduates--as will the rest of this excellent volume.

This invaluable bookprovides a concise but comprehensive march through the history of U.S. foreign policy. Kaufman has a keen eye and the ability to pull out relevant and informative examples to illustrate the evolution of U.S. policies and priorities. Moreover, she offers readers the vocabulary and theoretical tools to understand the forces that have shaped U.S. policy over time.

The new edition deftly covers the unorthodox presidency of Donald Trump--which raised many questions about the United States' role in the world--and lays out the challenges facing the Biden administration. Kaufman also continues to explore the evolving nature of the U.S. national interest and the threats facing the United States, including COVID-19. The book's questions and case studies are thought-provoking and will almost certainly translate into lively debates in the classroom and over the dinner table.

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