"It is the best and most effectively presented history of US foreign policy available. It is extremely well written. Its accessibility is established by the book’s clear writing and presentation, with no sacrifice of the more challenging theoretical and policy debates regarding US foreign policy since 1945."

—Glenn Palmer, Penn State University

The Gold Standard for Textbooks on American Foreign Policy

American Foreign Policy Since World War II provides students with an understanding of America’s current challenges by exploring its historical experience as the world’s predominant power since World War II. Through this process of historical reflection and insight, students become better equipped to place the current problems of the nation’s foreign policy agenda into modern policy context.

With each new edition, authors Steven W. Hook and John Spanier find that new developments in foreign policy conform to their overarching theme—there is an American "style" of foreign policy imbued with a distinct sense of national exceptionalism. This Twenty-First Edition continues to explore America’s unique national style with chapters that address the aftershocks of the Arab Spring and the revival of power politics. Additionally, an entirely new chapter devoted to the current administration discusses the implications of a changing American policy under the Trump presidency.