U.S. Foreign Policy Interactive eBook

The Paradox of World Power

The United States faces growing challenges to its primacy in the global balance of power. The very factors that have given rise to its dominance—a sense of exceptionalism, the sharing and fragmentation of political power, and the engagement of civil society in the foreign policy process—also create vulnerabilities for the country. Fast-moving developments overseas, meanwhile, won't wait for U.S. leaders to adopt perfect foreign policy strategies. The fourth edition of Hook's best-seller provides students with a concise and accessible overview of this foreign policy paradox, and highlights the challenges facing policy makers.

Key updates include complete coverage of President Obama's first term in office, the administration's turn to global engagement and "soft power" and a renewed focus on Asia, the ongoing war in Afghanistan, the U.S. responses to the Arab Spring movements, and the ongoing economic crisis. Students will also find a thorough review of the lessons of the Bush administration, ongoing bureaucratic tensions between the State and Defense departments, intelligence breakdowns, and problems such as global population growth and climate change that are not bound by national borders.

Instructors and students will appreciate the book's new full-color interior, expanded graphics program with new and thoroughly updated tables, figures, maps and feature boxes, and end-of-chapter resources for further review and study. Also available for the first time as a fully interactive e-Book, the fourth edition eBook also contains links to audio, video, online, reference, and primary source content.