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The Politics of United States Foreign Policy
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The Politics of United States Foreign Policy

Eighth Edition


September 2023 | 536 pages | CQ Press

What are the factors that shape and determine the foreign policy choices of the United States? The Politics of United States Foreign Policy helps students consider the players, processes, and politics that drive US decisions and involvement in foreign policy. Blending substance, theory, and stimulating analysis, James Scott and Jerel Rosati emphasize that society, government, and global forces play a role in the struggle over competing values when it comes to foreign policymaking. The book discusses historical patterns, the president’s ability to influence both at home and abroad, and the tension between democracy and national security. 

The Eighth Edition has been updated to cover developments since the end of the Trump administration, the transition to the Biden administration, the challenges of changing international and domestic contexts, and the increasingly partisan political environment. It also incorporates key recent national and international developments, including the global pandemic, the Russian invasion of Ukraine, US global reengagement, and competition between the US and key rivals like China and Russia. 

 
Part I Introduction: The Context of US Foreign Policymaking
 
Chapter 1 Understanding the Politics of US Foreign Policy
 
Chapter 2 The Global and Historical Context: Power, Role, and Politics on the World Stage
 
Part II Government and the Policymaking Process
 
Chapter 3 The President and White House Leadership
 
Chapter 4 Understanding the Foreign Policy Bureaucracy: The Department of State
 
Chapter 5 Understanding the Foreign Policy Bureaucracy: The Department of State
 
Chapter 6 Understanding the Foreign Policy Bureaucracy: The Intelligence Community
 
Chapter 7 Managing the Foreign Policy Bureaucracy: The National Security Council System
 
Chapter 8 The Foreign Economic Bureaucracy and the National Economic Council
 
Chapter 9 Congress and Interbranch Politics
 
Chapter 10 Explaining the Politics and Processes of Foreign Policymaking
 
Part III The Society and Domestic Politics
 
Chapter 11 The Public and Foreign Policy
 
Chapter 12 Interest Groups and Foreign Policy
 
Chapter 13 The Media and Foreign Policy
 
Part IV Conclusion
 
Chapter 14 Patterns, Processes, and Foreign Policymaking

Supplements

Instructor Resource Site

Instructor Resource Site 
Online resources included with this text:

The online resources for your text are available via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site, which offers access to all text-specific resources, including a test bank and editable, chapter-specific PowerPoint® slides. 
 
For additional information, custom options, or to request a personalized walkthrough of these resources, please contact your sales representative. 

Of all the foreign policy textbooks on the market, this one is the best at balancing a discussion of institutions, history, and politics. If you want to teach foreign policy with only one book, this is probably the best one.

Jacob Wobig
Wingate University

A solid, comprehensive, and practical guide to how American foreign policy is actually made.

Dennis Jett
Penn State University and Former U.S. Ambassador to Mozambique and Peru

This book provides an in-depth view of the internal governmental factors that shape United States foreign policy. Students will find the deep-dive into the policy-making process fascinating.

John Ross
Fort Hays State University

This is a comprehensive and thorough discussion of the U.S. structure and mechanisms which influence our foreign policy.

Lydia Andrade
University of the Incarnate Word

A comprehensive, detailed, and well-written introduction to how foreign policy gets made in the United States.

Ronald Lee
Rockford University

For instructors

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ISBN: 9781071902394
£128.00