Glenn P. Hastedt

World affairs are constantly in flux, so students need to be prepared not just to know what’s happening in the headlines but how to make sense of those events. Hastedt’s American Foreign Policy helps students develop the critical thinking skills needed to participate in debates about foreign relations—today and throughout their lives. Rather than focus on normative questions about what direction the country should take on the world stage, this text is designed to provide the historical and institutional context for the foreign policy process, from the governmental and civil society actors involved to the issues that comprise the conduct and content of American foreign policy. This thirteenth edition comes at a time when Biden’s presidency is facing some of the most important foreign policy questions in a generation, from the U. S.-withdrawal from Afghanistan to what we should do about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These issues have emerged as many of the traditional foundations in American foreign policy have been disrupted during the Trump administration, pleasing some and angering others but almost uniformly raising political tensions at home and abroad. The revision includes up-to-date coverage of the war in Ukraine, the U. S. exit from Afghanistan, health diplomacy and the response to COVID, the resurgence of great power politics, and other features of the Biden administration’s foreign policy. Features: NEW! Learning Objectives frame the expected student outcomes for each chapterUpdated On the Agenda features open each chapter to set the stage and tie a current policy issue into the chapter content. (formerly called “Dateline”)Updated Historical Lesson boxes provide context from the past to help understand today’s policy challenges, including “Applying the Lessons” critical thinking questionsUpdated Over the Horizon chapter-ending features present a speculative view to the future to spur student thinking about how American foreign policy might evolveExpanded Critical Thinking Questions at the end of each chapter engage students in higher order thinking beyond rote memorizationKey Terms lists at the end of each chapter are a useful study aid for studentsExpanded art program includes additional tables to help engage diverse learning styles

This book offers a realist critique of US foreign policy towards the Middle East in the past decade. It critically examines four core foundations of contemporary US Middle East policy: US relations with Saudi Arabia after the Arab Spring; US diplomacy towards Iran and the Obama administration’s policy of engagement; the road to, and aftermath of, the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq; and US policy towards nuclear-armed Israel. Because of a closely guarded bipartisan consensus, these four core foundations of contemporary US Middle East policy have largely evaded public criticism and scrutiny. This book argues that US strategy towards the Middle East has rarely been guided by order, stability and the national interest. Rather, successive administrations have created a house of cards built on a series of deceptions and constructed perceptions or myths. Combined, these four aspects of US Middle East policy have ushered in a decade of political violence, instability, sectarian divisions and an imbalance of power which has culminated in the territorial disintegration of Iraq and countries in the Levant as well as the rise of ISIS. Moving forward requires a rational pursuit of the national interest based on realist principles. This book will be of much interest to students of US foreign policy, Middle Eastern politics, security studies and IR in general.

Introduction to international politics courses typically have multiple goals. On the one hand, instructors seek to introduce students to the discipline through readings and discussions of foundational theoretical perspectives and ongoing debates. On the other hand, instructors seek to help students become informed participants in policy debates about foreign policy and international politics issues by highlighting pressing contemporary issues. Effectively addressing both concerns requires more than simply including both topics in the course syllabus or in a textbook. It requires making systematic linkages between theory and policy. This is a long standing challenge in international politics, one raised many years ago by Alexander George in Bridging the Gap in which he called for greater communication between academic scholars and practitioners. This text seeks to link theory and policy in an organized and efficient fashion that does not ignore or slight the conceptual discussion of international relations or simply chase newspaper headlines. Chapters are organized around “Global Challenges and Policy Responses.” The challenges are presented as concrete policy problems relevant to the theme of the chapter. The discussion of responses emphasize concrete actions being taken or proposed by international organizations, the foreign policies of key states, international agreements, and actions taken by NGOs. Theoretical insights are used to help students understand challenges, think about solutions, and learn from the past.

This book offers a realist critique of US foreign policy towards the Middle East in the past decade. It critically examines four core foundations of contemporary US Middle East policy: US relations with Saudi Arabia after the Arab Spring; US diplomacy towards Iran and the Obama administration’s policy of engagement; the road to, and aftermath of, the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq; and US policy towards nuclear-armed Israel. Because of a closely guarded bipartisan consensus, these four core foundations of contemporary US Middle East policy have largely evaded public criticism and scrutiny. This book argues that US strategy towards the Middle East has rarely been guided by order, stability and the national interest. Rather, successive administrations have created a house of cards built on a series of deceptions and constructed perceptions or myths. Combined, these four aspects of US Middle East policy have ushered in a decade of political violence, instability, sectarian divisions and an imbalance of power which has culminated in the territorial disintegration of Iraq and countries in the Levant as well as the rise of ISIS. Moving forward requires a rational pursuit of the national interest based on realist principles. This book will be of much interest to students of US foreign policy, Middle Eastern politics, security studies and IR in general.

Students love good stories. That is why case studies are such a powerful way to engage students while teaching them about concepts fundamental to the study of international relations. Cases in International Relations helps students understand the context of headline events in the international arena. Organized into three main parts—military, economic, and human security—the book’s fifteen cases examine enduring and emerging issues from the longstanding Arab-Israeli conflict to the rapidly changing field of cyber-security. Compatible with a variety of theoretical perspectives, the cases consider a dispute’s origins, issue development, and resolution so that readers see the underlying dynamics of state behavior and can try their hand at applying theory.

The American Presidency has become one of the most powerful offices in the world with the ascendency of American power in the 20th century. This book brings together analyses of the American presidency. It includes a subject index.