Library Resources: American Foreign Policy
The U. S. -Mexican Border Today by Call Number: 972.1 G199 (Truax)ISBN: 9781538131794Publication Date: 2021-03-25
To Start a War by Call Number: 956.7044310973 D765 (Truax)ISBN: 9780525561040Publication Date: 2020-07-28
National Debate Topic 2019/2020 by Call Number: 382.4562340973 U11A 2019-20 (Truax)ISBN: 9781642652208Publication Date: 2019-08-30
The New Cold War by
The first edition of The New Cold War was published to great critical acclaim. Edward Lucas has established himself as a top expert in the field, appearing on numerous programs, including Lou Dobbs, MSNBC, NBC Nightly News, CNN, and NPR. SinceTheNew Cold War was first published in February 2008, Russia has become more authoritarian and corrupt, its institutions are weaker, and reforms have fizzled. In this revised and updated third edition, Lucas includes a new preface on the Crimean crisis, including analysis of the dismemberment of Ukraine, and a look at the devastating effects it may have from bloodshed to economic losses. Lucas reveals the asymmetrical relationship between Russia and the West, a result of the fact that Russia is prepared to use armed force whenever necessary, while the West is not. Hard-hitting and powerful,The New Cold War is a sobering look at Russia's current aggression and what it means for the world.
Call Number: 327.4701821 L933ISBN: 9781137280039Publication Date: 2014-07-29
Days of Fire by
In Days of Fire, Peter Baker, Chief White House Correspondent for The New York Times, takes us on a gripping and intimate journey through the eight years of the Bush and Cheney administration in a tour-de-force narrative of a dramatic and controversial presidency. Theirs was the most captivating American political partnership since Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger: a bold and untested president and his seasoned, relentless vice president. Confronted by one crisis after another, they struggled to protect the country, remake the world, and define their own relationship along the way. In Days of Fire, Peter Baker chronicles the history of the most consequential presidency in modern times through the prism of its two most compelling characters, capturing the elusive and shifting alliance of George Walker Bush and Richard Bruce Cheney as no historian has done before. He brings to life with in-the-room immediacy all the drama of an era marked by devastating terror attacks, the Iraq War, Hurricane Katrina, and financial collapse. The real story of Bush and Cheney is a far more fascinating tale than the familiar suspicion that Cheney was the power behind the throne. Drawing on hundreds of interviews with key players, and thousands of pages of never-released notes, memos, and other internal documents, Baker paints a riveting portrait of a partnership that evolved dramatically over time, from the early days when Bush leaned on Cheney, making him the most influential vice president in history, to their final hours, when the two had grown so far apart they were clashing in the West Wing. Together and separately, they were tested as no other president and vice president have been, first on a bright September morning, an unforgettable "day of fire" just months into the presidency, and on countless days of fire over the course of eight tumultuous years. Days of Fire is a monumental and definitive work that will rank with the best of presidential histories. As absorbing as a thriller, it is eye-opening and essential reading.
Call Number: 973.931092 B168ISBN: 0385525184Publication Date: 2013-10-22
Iran and the United States by
Scores of books have been written by Western experts, mainly American, looking at the root causes of the conflict between Iran and the US. However, none of them have presented an inside look at this complex relationship from within the Iranian culture, society, and most importantly, the Iranian policy-making system. This gap has been the cause of misperceptions, misanalyses, and conflict, followed by the adoption of US policies that have failed to achieve their objectives. Seyed Hossein Mousavian worked for over 30 years on diplomatic efforts between Iran and the West, serving in numerous official posts, and as a confidante, colleague, and peer to many former and current high ranking Iranian officials, including now-President Hassan Rouhani and Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif. Here the former diplomat gives an insider's history of the troubled relationship between Iran and the US. His unique firsthand perspective blends memoir, analysis, and never before seen details of the many near misses in the quest for rapprochement. With so much at stake, the book concludes with a roadmap for peace that both nations so desperately need.
Call Number: 327.73055 M985ISBN: 9781628920079Publication Date: 2014-05-22
The Wrong Enemy by
Carlotta Gall has reported from Afghanistan and Pakistan for almost the entire duration of the American invasion and occupation, beginning shortly after 9/11. She knows just how much this war has cost the Afghan people, and how much damage can be traced to Pakistan and its duplicitous government and intelligence forces. Now that American troops are withdrawing, it is time to tell the full history of how we have been fighting the wrong enemy, in the wrong country. Gall combines searing personal accounts of battles and betrayals with moving portraits of the ordinary Afghanis who endured a terrible war of more than a decade. Her firsthand accounts of Taliban warlords, Pakistani intelligence thugs, American generals, Afghani politicians, and the many innocents who were caught up in this long war are riveting. Her evidence that Pakistan fueled the Taliban and protected Osama bin Laden is revelatory. This is a sweeping account of a war brought bywell-intentioned American leaders against an enemy they barely understood, and could not truly engage.
Call Number: 958.1047 G162ISBN: 9780544046696Publication Date: 2014-04-08
The United States and Torture by
Waterboarding. Sleep deprivation. Sensory manipulation. Stress positions. Over the last several years, these and other methods of torture have become garden variety words for practically anyone who reads about current events in a newspaper or blog. We know exactly what they are, how to administer them, and, disturbingly, that they were secretly authorized by the Bush Administration in its efforts to extract information from people detained in its war on terror. What we lack, however, is a larger lens through which to view America’s policy of torture — one that dissects America’s long relationship with interrogation and torture, which roots back to the 1950s and has been applied, mostly in secret, to “enemies,” ever since. How did America come to embrace this practice so fully, and how was it justified from a moral, legal, and psychological perspective? The United States and Torture opens with a compelling preface by Sister Dianna Ortiz, who describes the unimaginable treatment she endured in Guatemala in 1987 at the hands of the the Guatemalan government, which was supported by the United States. Then a psychologist, a historian, a political scientist, a philosopher, a sociologist, two journalists, and eight lawyers offer one of the most comprehensive examinations of torture to date, beginning with the CIA during the Cold War era and ending with today’s debate over accountability for torture. Ultimately, this gripping, interdisciplinary work details the complicity of the United States government in the torture and cruel treatment of prisoners both at home and abroad and discusses what can be done to hold those who set the torture policy accountable. Contributors: Marjorie Cohn, Richard Falk, Marc D. Falkoff, Terry Lynn Karl, John W. Lango, Jane Mayer, Alfred W. McCoy, Jeanne Mirer, Sister Dianna Ortiz, Jordan J. Paust, Bill Quigley, Michael Ratner, Thomas Ehrlich Reifer, Philippe Sands, Stephen Soldz, and Lance Tapley.
Call Number: 364.670973 U58 (Downtown)ISBN: 9780814717325Publication Date: 2011-01-12
While America Sleeps by
Former senator Russ Feingold looks at institutional failures, both domestic and abroad, since the 9/11 terrorist attacks and proposes steps to be taken--by the government and by individuals--to ensure that the next ten years are focused on solving the international problems that threaten America. In While America Sleeps, Russ Feingold details our nation's collective failure to respond properly to the challenges posed by the post-9/11 era. Oversimplification of complicated new problems as well as the cynical exploitation of the fears generated by 9/11 have undermined our ability to adjust effectively to America's new place in the world. This has weakened our efforts to protect American lives, our national security, and our constitutional values. Ranging from institutional failures to "get it right" by Congress, the executive branch, and the media to the way we have spoken of the war on terror, the nature of Islam, and American exceptionalism, too often we have not made the best choices in confronting, in Churchill's words, the "new conditions under which we now have to dwell." Senator Feingold explores the way in which the American public has been fed inadequate information or mere slogans to explain 9/11, Al Qaeda, and related events. This compares unfavorably with the candor often associated with, for example, FDR's fireside chats during World War II. Lumping Al Qaeda into a catch-all category known as "bad guys," failing to make it clear that Islam itself is not a threat to our way of life, and underestimating the extreme difficulty of fully invading individual countries as a way to root out international terrorism are examples of this misdirection. Moreover, our general inability to keep our eyes on the international ball seems to have grown even worse in the years following 9/11. More than ten years after one of the greatest wake-up calls in human history, our nation seems to have again grown complacent about the issues that suddenly seemed so urgent immediately after 9/11. While America Sleeps suggests ways in which we can awaken a new national commitment to engage with the rest of the world and one another in a less simplistic and more thoughtful way. Feingold's hope is that when the history of this era is written, it will be said that our country was taken off guard at the height of its power at the turn of the century and stumbled for a decade in an unfamiliar environment, but in the following decade America found a new national commitment of unity and resolve to adapt to its new status and leadership in the world.
Call Number: 327.7300905 F299 (Truax, West, DTecISBN: 9780307952523Publication Date: 2012-02-21
No Higher Honor by
From one of the world's most admired women, this is former National Security Advisor and Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's compelling story of eight years serving at the highest levels of government. In her position as America's chief diplomat, Rice traveled almost continuously around the globe, seeking common ground among sometimes bitter enemies, forging agreement on divisive issues, and compiling a remarkable record of achievement. A native of Birmingham, Alabama who overcame the racism of the Civil Rights era to become a brilliant academic and expert on foreign affairs, Rice distinguished herself as an advisor to George W. Bush during the 2000 presidential campaign. Once Bush was elected, she served as his chief adviser on national-security issues - a job whose duties included harmonizing the relationship between the Secretaries of State and Defense. It was a role that deepened her bond with the President and ultimately made her one of his closest confidantes. With the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, Rice found herself at the center of the Administration's intense efforts to keep America safe. Here, Rice describes the events of that harrowing day - and the tumultuous days after. No day was ever the same. Additionally, Rice also reveals new details of the debates that led to the war in Afghanistan and then Iraq. The eyes of the nation were once again focused on Rice in 2004 when she appeared before the 9-11 Commission to answer tough questions regarding the country's preparedness for - and immediate response to - the 9-11 attacks. Her responses, it was generally conceded, would shape the nation's perception of the Administration's competence during the crisis. Rice conveys just how pressure-filled that appearance was and her surprised gratitude when, in succeeding days, she was broadly saluted for her grace and forthrightness. From that point forward, Rice was aggressively sought after by the media and regarded by some as the Administration's most effective champion. In 2005 Rice was entrusted with even more responsibility when she was charged with helping to shape and carry forward the President's foreign policy as Secretary of State. As such, she proved herself a deft crafter of tactics and negotiation aimed to contain or reduce the threat posed by America's enemies. Here, she reveals the behind-the-scenes maneuvers that kept the world's relationships with Iran, North Korea and Libya from collapsing into chaos. She also talks about her role as a crisis manager, showing that at any hour -- and at a moment's notice -- she was willing to bring all parties to the bargaining table anywhere in the world. No Higher Honor takes the reader into secret negotiating rooms where the fates of Israel, the Palestinian Authority, and Lebanon often hung in the balance, and it draws back the curtain on how frighteningly close all-out war loomed in clashes involving Pakistan-India and Russia-Georgia, and in East Africa. Surprisingly candid in her appraisals of various Administration colleagues and the hundreds of foreign leaders with whom she dealt, Rice also offers here keen insight into how history actually proceeds. In No Higher Honor, she delivers a master class in statecraft -- but always in a way that reveals her essential warmth and humility, and her deep reverence for the ideals on which America was founded.
Call Number: 327.730092 R495ISBN: 9780307986788Publication Date: 2012-09-04
The Age of the Unthinkable by
Here is the most up-to-date history of man in space, researched by a NASA insider from astronaut interviews, diaries and speeches, and even top-secret documents from the former Soviet Union, with many revelations appearing in print for the very first time,. One Small Step shows space travel as it's never been seen before and those who read it will be both shocked at the dangers and failings of the space missions, and full of admiration for the courage of those who travelled into space. There are surprises in these pages even to those who closely follow space exploration. From Laika, Yuri Gagarin, Alan Shepard and John Glenn, to Columbia, the International Space Station and SpaceShipOne, via the Vostok, Soyuz, Gemini and Apollo missions and the moon landings, One Small Step is a unique first-hand history of space exploration.
Call Number: 973.931 R175 (Downtown)ISBN: 9780316118088Publication Date: 2009-03-23
Reinventing Collapse by
'Reinventing Collapse' examines the circumstances of the demise of the Soviet superpower and offers clear insights into how we might prepare for coming events. Rather than focusing on doom and gloom, the text suggests that there is room for optimism if we focus our efforts on personal and cultural transformation.
Call Number: 330.973093 O72ISBN: 9780865716063Publication Date: 2008-06-01
The Paranoid Style in American Diplomacy by Call Number: Online BookISBN: 9781503627925Publication Date: 2021
American Grand Strategy in the Age of Trump by Call Number: Online BookISBN: 9780815732785Publication Date: 2018-01-16
Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy by Call Number: Online BookISBN: 9780816046423Publication Date: 2004-01-01
A Handbook of Globalisation and Environmental Policy National Government Interventions in a Global Arena by Call Number: Online BookISBN: 1845429516Publication Date: 2006-11-27
American Foreign Policy since the Vietnam War by Call Number: Online BookISBN: 0765602725Publication Date: 1999-12-05
Presidents and Foreign Policy by Call Number: Online BookISBN: 0791433404Publication Date: 1997-04-25
Purgatorio : a journey into the heart of the border
Call Number: 327.73072 P985 DVD
Dirty Wars
Call Number: 355.00973 SC278 DVD
The Tillman Story
Call Number: 355.0092 T577 DVD (Truax)
Uncovered: The Whole Truth About the Iraq War
Call Number: 956.70443 U54 DVD
My trip to al-Qaeda: Behind the Scenes of the War on Terror
Call Number: 973.931 M995 DVD
American Umpire
Are Drones Destroying Our Democracy?
To Conquer or Redeem: Manifest Destiny
War on Terror: An Unseen Enemy
Country Information: Websites
- CIA PublicationsFactbook, world leaders, and maps.
- University of Colorado - Guide to Free Info on Nation StatesBrowse information by country.
- U.S. State Department - Background Sheets (Bilateral Relations Fact-Sheets)Brief summary of main aspects of relations between nations and the U.S. Government.
Websites: Governmental Information, American Foreign Policy
- U.S. State DepartmentThe Department's mission is to shape and sustain a peaceful, prosperous, just, and democratic world and foster conditions for stability and progress for the benefit of the American people and people everywhere.
- Historical Documents - US Foreign PolicyAvailable 1861-1980. U.S. Department of State, Office of the Historian.
- CIA Declassified Documents - Digital National Security ArchiveCIA Family Jewels Indexed is a freely accessible, searchable subject index created by the National Security Archive and available on the DNSA site. This index and its 67 full-text documents are not integrated into DNSA, but may be searched and browsed at the above link.
- Department of State - Virtual Reading RoomThis website provides a wealth of information about the Department’s FOIA program and how to obtain access to the Department’s records, as well as a search tool containing 98,785 searchable documents reviewed and released to the public.
Organizations: Non-Governmental
- Council on Foreign Relations - TopicsThe Council on Foreign Relations (CFR) is an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.
- Foreign Policy AssociationThe mission of the Foreign Policy Association today, as it has been throughout its 97-year history, is to serve as a catalyst for developing awareness, understanding, and informed opinion on U.S. foreign policy and global issues.
- Atlantic CouncilThe Atlantic Council promotes constructive leadership and engagement in international affairs based on the Atlantic Community's central role in meeting global challenges.
- Brookings Institution - Foreign PolicyThe Foreign Policy Studies Program, under the direction of Acting Vice President and Director Bruce Jones, has two goals: To understand the dynamics of world affairs and the challenges they pose to the international community. To influence policies and institutions in the United States and abroad that promote sustainable peace, security and prosperity around the world.
- Chicago Council on Foreign AffairsThe Chicago Council on Global Affairs has been connecting the world to Chicago and Chicago to the world for more than 90 years. Each year, the Council hosts over 150 events featuring leaders, policymakers, and other experts from around the world, discussing the most important issues of the day.
- Hoover InstitutionWith its eminent scholars and world-renowned library and archives, the Hoover Institution seeks to improve the human condition by advancing ideas that promote economic opportunity and prosperity, while securing and safeguarding peace for America and all mankind.
- Women's Foreign Policy GroupSince its founding 20 year ago, WFPG has been committed to promoting women’s leadership and voices in international affairs through our in-depth global issues programming and mentoring activities.
Political Cartoons - American Foreign Policy
***Cartoons a provided for educational purposes only***
