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Dealing with
a subject like the US foreign policies since independence is
by itself a very exhaustive and trying job that can hardly be
captured in a single book like this. Moreover, there are several
aspects to any single foreign policy matter pursued by a nation.
The problem remains what to keep and what to leave out. As the
title of the book suggests, it is not quite like other books
on the American foreign policies. It is neither too descriptive
nor is it overtly analytical. It rather seeks to focus on major
developments in America's foreign policy history in important
crossroads in that nation’s life. But it has a specific
methodology.
This book has a purpose. The twenty-first century happens to
be the era of unprecedented interdependence between nations
of the world. Contemporary international politics is defined
by two conflicting developments: on the one hand, there are
efforts towards the building of a more inclusive and global
type of civilization while some ominous developments in the
international arena portend to reverse such a process, on the
other. Free world led by the United States and the forces of
traditionalism led by the forces of orthodoxy and fundamentalism
are now pitted against each other in what can be construed as
a repeat of the ideological rivalry of the just bygone era.
As a result, people in many parts of the world now like to know
more about a nation, like the United States, that controls the
destiny of every other nation.
Yet such an interest inthe American foreign policy in these
nations follows a distinct pattern. Barring the academics and
scholars in international politics, common masses everywhere-
friends and foes alike- rather prefer to have a concise knowledge
about America’s political history and foreign policies.
Since contemporary era happens to be the era of the media, the
line of demarcation between journalistic and academic styles
and approaches has become thinner. Politically conscious people,
everywhere, like to hear more about the salient points, like
the news headlines. Likewise, a book written with that purpose
in a living and flowing style catches the fancy of common readers
and academicians alike. Therefore, it is the selection of the
appropriate style and methodology that is more important for
a topic like this. Readers are drawn by happenings of recent
phenomena like, globalization, terrorism etc. Then they like
to know more about the causes that gave rise to such phenomena
until they develop a keen interest in the whole of the topic.
This is best done by anyone writing in a dispassionate and impartial
way.
Since foreign policies of nations rove round the same set of
national interests and priorities, it is better to focus attention
on some major American foreign policies like the Neutrality,
the Manifest Destiny, and the Truman Doctrine etc. This book
proceeds from several important assumptions. First, the successive
American foreign policies served to complete the unfinished
jobs of the Declaration that, over time, set the rules of the
games in international politics. Secondly, the American Declaration,
in its turn, rested on the premise of creating a new and a different
type of international political order?–?an alternative
to the political order established by colonialism-imperialism.
As a result, the values and principles as enshrined in the Declaration
come in the way of America’s adopting a ‘different’
role in the contemporary era. This conflict with its parent
political philosophy required the incumbent American policy
makers to frame appropriate policies either to strike a balance
or to shed off its past. The third assumption is that it is
the remoteness of America’s geography and culture that
had fostered a sense of isolation in the minds of the early
American policy makers and that still shapes that country's
foreign policies. Neither the Declaration nor America’s
ideological battle with the forces of totalitarianism, conservatism
and dictatorship is free from this 'fear'. The fourth assumption
is that the messages of the Declaration are dialectical and
are continuously evolving that imparts a sort of ‘eternity’
tothe American values and elasticity to the American foreign
policies, at the same time.
This book has been possible because of access to the inexhaustible
sources in the major libraries in India and of course, the Internet.
All these render the arduous job of verification of facts and
data relatively easy. I hope that the readers everywhere will
find this book interesting and useful. It may open a new horizon
for the international political scholars, especially the second
chapter dealing with the politics of Domination that is extremely
timely and novel. |
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Mr. Gautam Maitra
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