Strategic direction from the president a century of US foreign policy, 1915-2015 Jack Godwin

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Godwin, Jack, author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--Foreign relations--20th century.

United States.

United States--Foreign relations--21st century.

Diplomatic relations.

Physical Description:

1 online resource

Place of Publication:

New York Bloomsbury Academic 2026

Summary:

"Investigates the strategy and intent of the American president in pursuit of national security, using a case study approach spanning the last century. Strategic Direction takes inspiration from the following sentence in Henry Kissinger’s Diplomacy: “In the American system of government, in which the president is the only nationally elected official, coherence in foreign policy emerges—if at all—from presidential pronouncements.” The conditional phrase—if at all—suggests coherence doesn’t happen by itself, doesn’t happen very often, and doesn’t last very long. Why not? To answer this question, Strategic Direction uses a case study approach spanning 1915-2015. The first case study begins in 1915 when Woodrow Wilson justifies his decision to remain neutral in the first world war. The last case study ends in 2015 with a warning from Barack Obama about the risks of perpetual war. Through an exploration of verbal and written communication, including documents, executive orders, memorandums, and other materials, this book examines how presidents determine and pursue their foreign policy priorities"-- Bloomsbury Collections

Contents:

Introduction : Kissinger’s assertion

Test case : Wilson and his critics

Roosevelt and total war

Truman’s new paradigm

Eisenhower and mutual security

Kennedy’s stylistic analysis

Johnson’s many principles

Nixon’s structure of peace

Carter and human rights

Reagan and economic freedom

Beyond the Cold War

Bush and homeland security

Obama’s campaign promise

Conclusion : A debt of coherence

Epilogue : On emerging doctrine

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references and index

Online resource; title from home page (Bloomsbury Collections, viewed August 19, 2026)

Other Format:

Print version Godwin, Jack Strategic direction from the president

ISBN:

9798216450962

9798216450979

9798216450986

OCLC:

1597385752

Access Restriction:

Restricted for use by site license