Drawing on his knowledge of the technical aspects of civil aviation, Alan P. Dobson's history of the international aviation system, from 1945 to the present day, stresses the hitherto unacknowledged role Franklin D. Roosevelt played in implementing the principles that came to govern the entire global aviation system.

"In a twentieth century dominated by airpower, no figure loomed larger than Franklin Roosevelt, both as a global strategist and as a key definer of the aerial world. No scholar better captures Roosevelt s thinking on this crucial issue than Alan Dobson, the true historian of aviation s diplomacy." - Jeffrey A. Engel, Kruse 52 Professor, Texas A&M University and author of Cold War at 30,000 Feet: the Anglo-American Fight for Aviation Supremacy

"Amazingly, the story of FDR and international civil aviation has gone untold; yet it is perhaps his most lasting and important legacy. Alan Dobson's well-written book is more than the story of Roosevelt's vision of what commercial aviation could become in the postwar world, however. It is an essential contribution to understanding globalization." - Lloyd C. Gardner, Professor Emeritus of History, Rutgers University, and author of Three Kings: The Rise of an American Empire in the Middle East After World War II"Alan P. Dobson has established a reputation as the world s leading authority on the international diplomacy of civil aviation, and this book demonstrates just how well-earned is that reputation. FDR and Civil Aviation constitutes a major contribution to our understanding of the rise and evolution of today s globe-spanning network of commercial airlines. Central to the fascinating story Dobson tells is the role played by Franklin D. Roosevelt, the oft-unacknowledged but very real architect of today s civilian-aviationregime - a regime that has been erected very much in accordance with the president s liberal-internationalist preferences and ideals. For anyone seeking insight into the wartime roots of a contemporary global civil-aviation order characterized by the aspiration toward open skies, this book will be indispensable reading." - David G. Haglund, Professor, Department of Political Studies, Queen s University, Canada

Autorentext
ALAN DOBSON****is Professor of Politics at the University of Dundee, UK.

Inhalt
Two Challenges:Roosevelt and Civil Aviation Roosevelt's Inheritance An Uneasy Start: Civil Aviation 1933-1937 The Passage of the 1938 Civil Aeronautics Act The Challenges of International Aviation 1933-1939 The Coming of War: Policies, Preparations and More Reorganization 1939-1941 Forming US International Aviation Policy December 1941 May 1943 Of Subordinates and the President American Triumph, Roosevelt's Loss and the 'Burlesque' of Chicago Roosevelt's Legacy