What America Owes the World

The Struggle for the Soul of Foreign Policy

by H. W. Brands

Cambridge UP, 1998

ISBN: 9780521639682
Pages: 325

Category: Economics & Politics

In this summary you will learn

• Which two opposing schools of thought have driven United States foreign policy
• How the U.S. embraced a containment policy and entered a “cold war” with the former Soviet Union that lasted for several decades
• How the balance of power became a touchstone of U.S foreign policy

Why you should read What America Owes the World

H. W. Brands provides an excellent historical review of the complexities of United States foreign policy. He analyzes all major foreign policy positions from the intellectual ground staked out by the major political writers of each period. This book is an invaluable tool for anyone who wishes to develop or supplement knowledge on the subject, up through the Reagan years. The reader must be prepared to invest time and effort to maximize the benefits from reading this book. However, it is worth the effort. getAbstract.com recommends this book to anyone interested in United States foreign policy, and in relations between the United States and the Soviet Union.

About the Author

H. W. Brands, the Ralph R. Thomas Professor of History at Texas A&M University, holds degrees from Stanford University, Reed College, Portland State University, and the University of Texas. His previous books include The Spector of Neutralism, Inside the Cold War, The United States in the World, The Wages of Globalism, The Reckless Decade, and T.R.: The Last Romantic.

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