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  • © 2017

Cycles in US Foreign Policy since the Cold War

Palgrave Macmillan
  • Offers a unique way of looking at American foreign policy after the collapse of the Berlin Wall
  • Identifies and explains swings between engagement and disengagement in recent US foreign policy
  • Provides a survey of American foreign policy since the end of the Cold War through the lens of different presidencies
  • Suggests future implications of these sources of cyclical change in US foreign policy

Part of the book series: American Foreign Policy in the 21st Century (AMP21C)

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Table of contents (10 chapters)

  1. Front Matter

    Pages i-xi
  2. Part I

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 27-27
    2. George Herbert Walker Bush: A Disorderly World

      • Thomas H. Henriksen
      Pages 29-56
    3. George H.W. Bush: Interventionism Unbound

      • Thomas H. Henriksen
      Pages 57-85
  3. Part II

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 87-87
  4. Part III

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 161-161
    2. George Walker Bush and the International Outreach

      • Thomas H. Henriksen
      Pages 163-184
    3. George W. Bush’s Overstretch Abroad

      • Thomas H. Henriksen
      Pages 185-228
  5. Part IV

    1. Front Matter

      Pages 229-229
    2. Barack Hussein Obama and the New Retrenchment

      • Thomas H. Henriksen
      Pages 231-260
    3. Barack Obama: A Foreign Policy of Disengagement

      • Thomas H. Henriksen
      Pages 261-302
    4. Observations on the Cycles in US Foreign Policy

      • Thomas H. Henriksen
      Pages 303-308
  6. Back Matter

    Pages 309-332

About this book

This book describes how American international policy alternates between engagement and disengagement cycles in world affairs. These cycles provide a unique way to understand, assess, and describe fluctuations in America’s involvement or non-involvement overseas. In addition to its basic thesis, the book presents a fair-minded account of four presidents’ foreign policies in the post-Cold War period: George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. It suggests recurring sources of cyclical change, along with implications for the future. An engaged or involved foreign policy entails the use of military power and diplomatic pressure against other powers to secure American ends. A disengaged on noninvolved policy relies on normal economic and political interaction with other states, which seeks to disassociation from entanglements.  

Reviews

“Cycles in US Foreign Policy Since the Cold War is a significant contribution to the literature and an essential reference for policymakers and academics interested in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. All things considered, anyone who is interested in U.S. policies may find this book interesting.” (Çağatay Özdemir,Insight Turkey, Vol. 21 (2), 2019)

Authors and Affiliations

  • Hoover Institution, Stanford University, Palo Alto, USA

    Thomas H. Henriksen

About the author

Thomas H. Henriksen is Senior Fellow at Hoover Institution, Stanford University, USA. Henriksen is the author of America and the Rogue States (2012) and American Power after the Berlin Wall (2007) as well as many other books and articles. 

Bibliographic Information

Buy it now

Buying options

eBook USD 29.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book USD 37.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book USD 99.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Other ways to access