This book examines the history of US foreign policy since the Vietnam War. It focuses on four themes: the legacy of Vietnam; the ending and aftermath of the Cold War; the debate over American international decline; and the frequently undemocratic conduct of US foreign policy. The book considers alternative explanations for the Cold War's end. It evaluates the foreign policy leadership of Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush and Clinton and assesses prospects for US foreign policy after the Cold War.

Introduction
Jimmy Carter and 'Global Community'
Carter in Crisis
Renewing America: Regan and the Cold War, 1981-85
The Reagan Doctrine: War and Coercive Diplomacy
The Waning of the Cold War and Iran
Contra President Bush and Peace: The Cold War Ends
Gulf War and the New World Order
Clinton and Prospects for America's Future: New Priorities for Old?