The Ambiguous Legacy: U.S. Foreign Relations in the 'American Century'

This collection of essays assesses the record of American foreign policy over the course of the twentieth century. The essays comprise the work of political scientists as well as historians, conservatives as well as liberals, foreign scholars as well as Americans. Taking off from Henry Luce's vision of an 'American century', the authors discuss such important topics as the American conception of the national interest, the tension between democracy and capitalism, the US role in both the developed and underdeveloped worlds, party politics and foreign policy, the significance of race in American foreign relations, and the cultural impact of American diplomacy on the world at large. The result is a lively collection of essays by authors who often disagree but who nonetheless provide the reader with keen insights about the past and provocative views of the future.

Table of Contents:
The authors; Acknowledgements; Introduction Michael J. Hogan; 'The American century' Henry R. Luce; 1. Making the world safe for democracy Tony Smith; 2. 'Empire by invitation' in the American century Geir Lundestad; 3. America and the twentieth century: continuity and change Robert Jervis; 4. The idea of the national interest H. W. Brands; 5. The tension between democracy and capitalism during the American century Walter LaFeber; 6. The American century: from Sarajevo to Sarajevo Joan Hoff; 7. East Asia in Henry Luce's 'American century' Michael H. Hunt; 8. The American century and the third world Bruce Cumings; 9. Race from power: US foreign policy and the general crisis of 'white supremacy' Gerald Horne; 10. Immigrants and frontiersmen: two traditions in American foreign policy Godfrey Hodgson; 11. Partisan politics and foreign policy in the American century Michael J. Hogan; 12. Philanthropy and diplomacy in the American century Volker R. Berghahn; 13. A century of NGOs Akira Iriye; 14. Consuming women: images of Americanization in the 'American century' Emily S. Rosenberg; 15. The empire of the fun, or talkin' Soviet Union blues: the sound of freedom and US cultural hegemony in Europe Reinhold Wagnleitner; 16. American empire and cultural imperialism: a view from the receiving end Rob Kroes; Index.

Review :
'… a lively collection of essays by authors who often disagree but who nonetheless provide the reader with keen insights about the past and provocative views of the future.' Journal of the European Association of American Studies