This sharp and authoritative account of American foreign relations analyzes the last 15 years of foreign policy in relation to the last 40 years, since the end of the Cold War. In 1989, the United States emerged as victor from the Cold War struggle. But what did victory mean? In the United States, commentators were divided in their views: some feared their nation's eclipse by more successful trading powers or blocs; others were concerned that undoubted military pre-eminence was in effect financed by foreigners.

A little over a decade later, these worries seem remote - but others have replaced them. The attacks on the World Trade Center on 11 September 2001, gave the US a new and unwelcome sense of vulnerability, while the responses of the Bush administration have created grave misgivings in many parts of the world. This fascinating study gives readers an overview and understanding of the recent history of U.S. foreign relations from the viewpoint of one of the most respected authorities in the field.

Warren I. Cohen is Distinguished University Professor at University of Maryland at Baltimore County and Senior Scholar at the Asia Program, Woodrow Wilson Center. He has written nine books and edited eight others, including America's Response to China (4th edition, 2000), East Asia at the Center: Four Thousand Years of Engagement with the World (2001), and Asian American Century (2002).

Acknowledgments viii

Introduction: The Cold War as History 1

1 The End of the Cold War International System 12

2 In Search of a Compass 38

3 Clinton and Humanitarian Intervention 56

4 Managing the Great Powers 72

5 The Clinton Years Assessed 94

6 The Vulcans Take Charge 123

7 Once Upon an Empire 143

8 All the Rest - and Bush Assessed 164

References and Suggestions for Additional Reading 187

Index 193