Presidents and Foreign Policy: Countdown to Ten Controversial Decisions

by Edward R. Drachman, Alan Shank, Richard M. Pious (Foreword)

For each US president since World War II, considers one major policy decision, the historical background to it, the foreign and domestic context, the effectiveness of the decision-making process, and the results. They include Truman's refusal to recognize Red China, Eisenhower's opposition to the invasion of the Suez, Kennedy's Bay of Pigs Invasion, Johnson's end to the US buildup in Vietnam, Nixon's Cambodian invasion, Ford's intervention in Angola, Carter's boycott of the Olympics, Reagan's bombing of Tripoli, Bush's limit to the Gulf War, and Clinton's invasion of Haiti. A reader for political science courses. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

390 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 1997

Reviews

[Abi · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book would definitely serve well for a class focused on US foreign policy, but the set-up of each chapter as a case study worked really well in creating a clear understanding of each issue. There wasn’t a lot of bias present in the reviews, which can often overshadow political/historical books. The authors did a good job in examining the domestic influence of the foreign policy and the public opinion throughout the decisions. I also enjoyed how they reviews the consequences for all countries impacted by the issues rather than only the US and the immediate partner.