America in the World: A History of U.S. Diplomacy and Foreign Policy

Summary

Recounting the actors and events of U.S. foreign policy, Zoellick identifies five traditions that have emerged from America’s encounters with the world: the importance of North America; the special roles trading, transnational, and technological relations play in defining ties with others; changing attitudes toward alliances and ways of ordering connections among states; the need for public support, especially through Congress; and the belief that American policy should serve a larger purpose. These traditions frame a closing review of post-Cold War presidencies, which Zoellick foresees serving as guideposts for the future. 

Both a sweeping work of history and an insightful guide to U.S. diplomacy past and present, America in the World serves as an informative companion and practical adviser to readers seeking to understand the strategic and immediate challenges of U.S. foreign policy during an era of transformation.

Praise

"AMERICA IN THE WORLD is a highly accessible and engaging history of U.S. diplomacy written by one of the country's smartest and most capable foreign policy practitioners. Robert Zoellick understands better than most how inseparable America's fate is from the rest of the world, and that timely lesson shines through the pages of this book."—Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright

"Bob Zoellick has accomplished the near impossible -- he has written a seminal work that is groundbreaking, historically insightful, and entertaining in a way that will appeal to scholars and general readers alike. America in the World provides a new framework for understanding the history of America's foreign policy, and is chock-full of fascinating vignettes that reveal our nation's pragmatism and innovative spirit."— Henry M. Paulson, Jr., former United States Secretary of the Treasury