Summary:

With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War,
American decision makers have been forced to confront anew questions
about the role of the United States in world affairs. What are the
responsibilities of the United States toward other countries? What
are the appropriate uses and limitation of American power? And what,
from an American point of view, would be the ideal shape of the
imagined New World Order? However U.S. policymakers may resolve such
issues, their thinking will be influenced by assumptions deeply
embedded in American culture. Some of those beliefs derive from the
nation's distinctive history, geography, and resources. But others
are rooted in what Susan M. Matarese calls the "national image"-a set
of emotionally charged, relatively coherent ideas about the special
qualities of the United States and its place in the world. Building
on a long tradition of scholarship that looks to works of literature
for insights into national myths and symbols, Matarese examines a
rich trove of utopian fiction written by Americans during the late
nineteenth century. Such writings, she shows, provide a useful window
into the popular imagination, revealing widely shared notions about
the foreign policy of an idealized America-notions that have proven
remarkably resilient in the twentieth century as well. Indeed, even
in the post-Cold War era, one can find striking similarities between
the foreign policy goals of the Bush and Clinton administrations and
the dreams of America's utopian architects a century earlier. The
author concludes with an appeal for greater humility and realism in
the formation of U.S. foreign policy, and a recognition of the limits
of American power in what is likely to be an increasingly fluid,
fragmented, and multipolar world.

Book Details:

Physical Description: 184 pages
Edition Info: Paperback; 2009-09-30

Similar Books:

•	Alliances and American Foreign Policy (Professor Robert E. Osgood, ; ISBN: 080181300X; Paperback; 1971-04-01; 100% match)
•	Brute reality (Stuart Price; ISBN: 0745320805; (hbk.); 100% match)
•	Brute reality (Stuart Price; ISBN: 0745320791; (pbk.); 100% match)
•	...more similar books

Subjects:

Click on a subject to see other books listed with the same subject or to drill down into components of the subject -- such as geographical locations, dates and so on.

•	Literature & Fiction -- World Literature -- United States -- History & Criticism -- General (2622)
•	Nonfiction -- Politics -- International -- Relations (6059)

Buying this book:

We query many merchants so that you can instantly compare prices and availability. You can even check historic prices and subscribe for notifications. For a manual check, clicking on a link will open a new window with a search for this book on the merchant's site of your choice.

•	Amazon.com by title or by ISBN — widest selection, reliable service, good prices
•	Abebooks.com by title or by ISBN — good source for rare and out-of-print books
•	Textbooks.com by title or by ISBN — large inventory of new & used textbooks
•	Alibris.com by title or by ISBN — their slogan is "books you thought you'd never find"
•	eCampus.com by title or by ISBN — they specialize in textbooks, used and new
•	BN.com by title or by ISBN — Barnes & Noble has a wide selection of new and used books