The Four Ages of American Foreign Policy: Weak Power, Great Power, Superpower, Hyperpower

About this book

In The Four Ages of American Foreign Policy, the eminent authority on American foreign policy Michael Mandelbaum offers a new framework for understanding the history of the foreign policy of the United States. He divides that history into four distinct periods, each of them defined by the consistent increase in the power the country has had at its disposal in its relations with other countries. Review Mandelbaum has written a masterful interpretation of the twists and turns of U.S. foreign policy, offering keen insights into U.S. politics and the nature of global affairs along the way. The book will take its place alongside other seminal studies of the history of U.S. statecraft. ― Charles A. Kupchan, Council on Foreign Relations, Georgetown University, Foreign Policy Where Mandelbaum breaks new ground is when he discusses and assesses the serial failures of Presidents Clinton through Obama in post-Cold War geopolitics. This alone is worth the price of the book. ― Francis P. Sempa, New York Journal of Books Mandelbaum [...] has written a book so lucid on a subject so sprawling that it could be read with profit by someone only mildly curious about America's foreign entanglements and yet also be a source of inspiration to anyone steeped in the arcana of world affairs. ― Tunku Varadarajan, Stanford University, Wall Street Journal The Four Ages of American Foreign Policy provides a masterly conceptual framework for coming to grips with past U.S. foreign policy. ― Brian Stewart, Commentary, Commentary Michael Mandelbaum's new book is a masterpiece. I am often asked what is the best single book to read to understand the grand sweep and history of American foreign policy, and I will now say that it is this book. Mandelbaum uniquely combines the depth and knowledge of the best historians and the breadth and imagination of the best political scientists. His organizing paradigm of the great ascent of America through its four successive ages of increasing power―coming at the end of that ascent and at the beginning of a new age of diminished power―should be fundamental and invaluable to future scholars, policy analysts, and concerned citizens. ― James Kurth, Claude Smith Professor of Political Science Emeritus, Swarthmore College The Four Ages of American Foreign Policy is a masterwork―a defining contribution to the most critical international debate of our time. It is essential for anyone concerned about world affairs. Mandelbäum's analysis contains unique perspectives and new insights for understanding America's role in today's turbulent era. A profound searchlight on the past and a guidepost for the future, it combines rare scholarship with lucid relevance. Vital for both general readers and professionals. ― Ralph Buultjens, Former Nehru Professor, University of Cambridge (UK); New York University The Four Ages of American Foreign Policy is a sweeping account of America's place in the world. Elegantly written, it is an invaluable addition to the scholarship on the United States. ― Susan Eisenhower, author of How Ike Led, and President of the Eisenhower Group, Inc. In this accessible and readable account of the broad sweep of US foreign policy, Mandelbaum explores a paradoxical question: why, as American power has increased over the centuries, has the United States ultimately become less able to achieve its foreign policy goals? Sure to provoke spirited debate, his answers to this critical question will interest specialists and the general reader alike. ― Mary Elise Sarotte, author of Not One Inch In this imaginative book, Michael Mandelbaum brings his formidable energy and talents to bear on the history of American foreign policy. An incisive volume well worth reading and pondering. ― David Hendrickson, Professor Emeritus of Political Science, Colorado College, and author of Republic in Peril About the Author Michael Mandelbaum is the Christian A. Herter Professor Emeritus of American Foreign Policy at The Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies. He is the author of sixteen previous books, including Mission Failure (Oxford, 2016) The Rise and Fall of Peace on Earth (Oxford, 2019), and, with Thomas L. Friedman, That Used to Be Us (2011).