Cycles in US Foreign Policy since the Cold War

This book describes how American international policy alternates between engagement and disengagement cycles in world affairs. These cycles provide a unique way to understand, assess, and describe fluctuations in America’s involvement or non-involvement overseas. In addition to its basic thesis, the book presents a fair-minded account of four presidents’ foreign policies in the post-Cold War period: George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, George W. Bush, and Barack Obama. It suggests recurring sources of cyclical change, along with implications for the future. An engaged or involved foreign policy entails the use of military power and diplomatic pressure against other powers to secure American ends. A disengaged on noninvolved policy relies on normal economic and political interaction with other states, which seeks to disassociation from entanglements.  

“Cycles in US Foreign Policy Since the Cold War is a significant contribution to the literature and an essential reference for policymakers and academics interested in U.S. foreign policy and international relations. All things considered, anyone who is interested in U.S. policies may find this book interesting.” (Çağatay Özdemir, Insight Turkey, Vol. 21 (2), 2019)

Thomas H. Henriksen is Senior Fellow at Hoover Institution, Stanford University, USA. Henriksen is the author of America and the Rogue States (2012) and American Power after the Berlin Wall (2007) as well as many other books and articles.