American Foreign Policy

The text aims to uncover the roots of the United States' near perpetual involvement in war since the beginning of WWI in 1914. Using alliance politics as the main framework of analysis, it offers a new interpretation that contrasts with the traditional views that war is an interruption of the American foreign policy emphasis on diplomacy. Instead, it posits that war has been the norm during the past century while peaceful interludes were but a time of respite and preparation for the next conflict.

After a thorough discussion of the concepts of alliance building and the containment doctrine, the work then addresses such themes as the alliance networks used to confront German and Japanese powers during the early 20th century wars, the role of alliances in containing the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the creation of alliances to restrict and defeat rogue state powers, and whether they were useful when dealing with the challenges posed by terrorism in the post-9/11 world.

Each chapter features case studies, a summary, references, and web links. In addition, the book utilizes primary sources, such as U.S. Department of Defense and State documents and presidential statements. An exhaustive study of containment and alliance, this text will be an essential resource for anyone studying U.S. foreign policy, international relations, and national security.

Autorentext

James W. Peterson is Professor of Political Science and Head of the Department of Political Science at Valdosta State University, USA. Previous books include NATO and Terrorism: Organizational Expansion and Mission Transformation (2011) and Building a Framework of Security for Southeast Europe and the Black Sea Region: A Challenge Facing NATO (2013). His teaching centers on a course that considers how the Arab Spring challenges existing alliances and on a doctoral dissertation course for graduate students in public administration.

Inhalt

Introduction: 1914: An Abrupt End to a Century and a Quarter of Isolationism

Part One: Alliance Networks and the Defeat of German and Japanese Power: Early Twentieth Century Hot Wars, 1914-1945
Chapter One: World War I, Temporary Alliance Networks, and American Leadership, 1914-1918
Chapter Two: World War II, Permanent Alliances, and American Internationalism, 1931-1945

Part Two: Role of Alliances in Containing the Power of the Soviet Union: Late Twentieth Century Cold War, 1945-1991
Chapter Three: War of Nerves with the Soviet Union: A Broad but Shaky Containment Alliance,
1945-1991
Chapter Four: Korean War: A Small Pacific-Based Containment Alliance and Stalemate, 1950-1953
Chapter Five: War in Southeast Asia: Absence of Allies, Non-Containment, and Defeat, 1964-1973

Part Three: Creation of Alliances to Restrict and Defeat Rogue State Power: Immediate Post-Cold War Period
Chapter Six: American-Led, United Nations Based Alliance to Check Saddam and Iraq, 1990-1991
Chapter Seven: American-Led, NATO-Based Alliance to Check MiloSevic and Serbia, 1992-1999

Part Four: Utility and Disutility of Alliances in Dealing with Challenges from Terrorist Power, 2001-2014
Chapter Eight: America, NATO, and the War in Afghanistan, 2001-2014
Chapter Nine: America, Coalition of the Willing, and the War in Iraq, 2003-2011
Chapter Ten: Arab Spring, Discussions within Alliances, and the Potential for War, 2011-2014
Conclusion: 2014: Reflections on a Century of War and an Abrupt Transition to New Conflicts

Alliance Networks and the Defeat of Enemy European and Asian States, 1914-1945
Role of Alliances in Containing the Power of a Universalist State and its Empire, 1945-1991
Creation of Alliances to Counter Rogue States and their Regional Power, 1991-2001
Battle against Terrorism - Beneath , Above, Beyond, and Within, 2001-2014
Continuing Terrorism, Arab Resurgence, and Globalization, 2014 and after

"Mazar"
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