From the Hamiltonian-Jeffersonian split over English and French policy in the 1790s to the Republican-Democratic clash over Haitian policy in the 1990s, Americans and foreign observers have been troubled-and often exasperated-by the extraordinary influence of U.S. domestic politics on matters of vital national security. Some critics, including Alexis de Tocqueville, concluded-that America's democratic system would cripple the effective and efficient conduct of its foreign policy. In this first historical overview of the subject, Melvin Small examines the central role of domestic politics in the shaping and conduct of American foreign policy from the early republic to the end of the Cold War.

About the Author
Melvin Small is professor in the Department of History at Wayne State University.

Reviews
Over all, this is a very good book. It is an engaging and convincing survey, and it is written for readers at all levels of expertise. I suspect that it will be quite useful for many courses on American foreign policy in both history and political science. -- T. Clifton Morgan Political Science Quarterly This is a concise and sophisticated analysis which carefully assesses the many internal influences on foreign policy-making in the United States. The author concludes that the impact of domestic politics on foreign policy has not necessarily been bad and has certainly been more successful than the advocates of a more reallpolitikapproach would have it. International Affairs



Book Information
ISBN 9780801851780
Author Melvin Small
Format Paperback
Page Count 208
Imprint Johns Hopkins University Press
Publisher Johns Hopkins University Press
Weight(grams) 312g