The Crisis of American Foreign Policy:
Wilsonianism in the Twenty-first Century
G. John Ikenberry, Thomas J. Knock, Anne-Marie Slaughter & Tony Smith

Cloth | 2008 | $24.95 / £16.95
168 pp. | 6 x 9

e-Book | 2009 | $24.95 | ISBN: 978-1-4008-2977-4

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Was George W. Bush the true heir of Woodrow Wilson, the architect of liberal internationalism? Was the Iraq War a result of liberal ideas about America's right to promote democracy abroad? In this timely book, four distinguished scholars of American foreign policy discuss the relationship between the ideals of Woodrow Wilson and those of George W. Bush. The Crisis of American Foreign Policy exposes the challenges resulting from Bush's foreign policy and ponders America's place in the international arena.

Led by John Ikenberry, one of today's foremost foreign policy thinkers, this provocative collection examines the traditions of liberal internationalism that have dominated American foreign policy since the end of World War II. Tony Smith argues that Bush and the neoconservatives followed Wilson in their commitment to promoting democracy abroad. Thomas Knock and Anne-Marie Slaughter disagree and contend that Wilson focused on the building of a collaborative and rule-centered world order, an idea the Bush administration actively resisted. The authors ask if the United States is still capable of leading a cooperative effort to handle the pressing issues of the new century, or if the country will have to go it alone, pursuing policies without regard to the interests of other governments.

Addressing current events in the context of historical policies, this book considers America's position on the global stage and what future directions might be possible for the nation.

G. John Ikenberry is the Albert G. Milbank Professor of Politics and International Affairs at Princeton University. Thomas J. Knock is associate professor of history at Southern Methodist University. Anne-Marie Slaughter is dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Tony Smith is professor of political science at Tufts University.

Reviews:

"The Crisis of American Foreign Policy examines Wilson's resonance today. Four noted scholars--three Wilson sympathizers and one caustic critic--offer thoughtful essays on what Wilsons historical example might offer twenty-first-century leaders. . . . It is the combatitive essays by Tony Smith and Anne-Marie Slaughter that invigorate the collection. . . . For Smith, Wilsonianism is a distracting Kantian echo in an increasingly Hobbesian world. Slaughter offers a spirited defense of Woodrow Wilson. . . . This academic clash will resonate with progressives, for Smith's skepticism and Slaughter's optimism reside in many of us. And this same battle of ideas--the pragmatic versus the internationalist--will likely be repeated during high-level debates in the Obama administration."--David Milne, The Nation

"Particularly timely. . . . The question the book addresses in four short essays is whether Mr Bush's policies--most notably the Iraq invasion--were 'Wilsonian' in inspiration and whether the reverses have weakened or doomed the tradition."--Daniel Dombey, Financial Times

"This is not a j'accuse account of the Bush presidency. Rather, its focus is a discussion of the tradition of Wilsonianism in American foreign policy, and whether or not George W. Bush's presidency ought to be described as being part of this tradition. While the authors come to different conclusions, using different criteria, the debate is interesting and intelligent, offering plenty for students, historians and enthusiasts alike. The Crisis of American Foreign Policy is the most readable, balanced and lucid theory-based publication I've read in quite some time. Very highly recommended."--Stefan Fergus, Civilian Reader

More reviews

Table of Contents:

Introduction: Woodrow Wilson, the Bush Administration, and the
Future of Liberal Internationalism by John Ikenberry 1
Chapter 1: "Playing for a Hundred Years Hence"
Woodrow Wilson's Internationalism and His Would-Be Heirs by Thomas J. Knock 25
Chapter 2: Wilsonianism after Iraq
The End of Liberal Internationalism? By Tony Smith 53
Chapter 3: Wilsonianism in the Twenty-first Century by Anne-Marie Slaughter 89
Notes 119
Contributors 141
Index 143

Other Princeton books by G. John Iikenberry:

• After Victory: Institutions, Strategic Restraint, and the Rebuilding of Order after Major Wars.
• The Nation-State in Question.

Another Princeton book by Thomas J. Knock:

• To End All Wars: Woodrow Wilson and the Quest for a New World Order.

Another Princeton book by Anne-Marie Slaughter:

• A New World Order.

Another Princeton book by Tony Smith:

• America's Mission: The United States and the Worldwide Struggle for Democracy in the Twentieth Century.

Subject Areas:

• Political Science and International Relations
• American History

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For customers in the U.S., Canada, Latin America, Asia, and Australia
Cloth: $24.95 ISBN13: 978-0-691-13969-2

For customers in Europe, Africa, the Middle East, and India
Cloth: £16.95 ISBN13: 978-0-691-13969-2

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