Contemporary Cases In U.S. Foreign Policy: From Terrorism To Trade

Crafting foreign policy today is a pluralistic process. As witnessed by the waning and waxing of the American president's predominance, consensus regarding the central aims of U.S. foreign policy is in flux. More actors are involved, partisan loyalties are stronger, and decisions made elsewhere impact the U.S. in new and significant ways. Members of Congress, interest groups, NGOs, the media, and bureaucratic actors all compete to influence the way U.S. foreign policy is made and implemented.

Contemporary Cases in U.S. Foreign Policy captures this complexity by drawing in students to 15 real-world cases. Whether grappling with the policy-making dynamic of fighting the war in Iraq, dealing with North Korea's nuclear weapons program, raising and lowering steel tariffs, or determining the rights of detainees in the War on Terrorism, students must question motives, consider alternatives, predict out-comes, and communicate choices.

To help students get a sense of why the issues are important, and why particular policy choices were made the authors follow a consistent format across chapter, providing critical thinking questions, a chronology, and an annotated list of key actors for each case.