Textbook for post-1945 U.S. foreign policy course?
I have taught a third-year postwar U.S. foreign policy course for a number of years. In the past I've used Walter LaFeber's America, Russia, and the Cold War as the background text. As this book is now out of print, I'm on the lookout for a replacement - but I haven't found anything suitable so far. I'd be grateful for any suggestions.
Thanks,
Tami J. Friedman
Associate Professor, Department of History
Brock University
1812 Sir Isaac Brock Way
St. Catharines, Ont. L2S 3A1 Canada
Email: tfriedman@brocku.ca
2 Replies
Post ReplyI had good results with Hook & Spanier's "American Foreign Policy since WWII," now in its 22nd (?) edition. For my purposes it had a good blend of factual materiel, diplomatic and political history, and concepts. The book provided a sold core for students ranging from sophomores to seniors.
Robert J. Lieber
Professor Emeritus, Georgetown University
lieberr@georgetown.edu
Consider Joyce P. Kaufman's _A Concise History of U.S. Foreign Policy_, 5th Edition (Rowman & Littlefield, 2021). While it includes roughly 50 pages of pre-1945 content, the remainder of the book provides a chronological walk through the presidential administrations, 1945-present. Because the author is a political scientist by trade, I wondered if it might slip under the radar? Full disclosure: I have not taught the book myself but I did strongly consider an earlier edition and was tempted to assign it in my American Foreign Policy course (for 2nd- and 3rd-year undergraduates).
Jon DiCicco
Professor of Political Science & IR
Middle Tennessee State University