First published 2000
American foreign policy after the Cold War operates in a world of fractured institutions and competing loyalties. Rebecca K. C. Hersman takes readers inside the daily machinery of government where real decisions get made, far from the public battles between presidents and Congress that dominate headlines. She argues that foreign policy emerges from informal networks of officials who share similar views rather than from organized institutional processes. Political parties cannot agree on a coherent international vision, while Congress splits along ideological fault lines that leave traditional internationalists stranded in a shrinking center. Hersman examines three detailed cases: the contentious transfer of American warships to Turkey, debates over easing sanctions on Pakistan despite nuclear concerns, and the multi-year fight over ratifying the Chemical Weapons Convention from 1995 to 1997. She reveals how media coverage shapes policy outcomes and challenges the assumption that unified party control of government produces better results. The book illuminates the personal relationships, institutional conflicts, and issue-based alliances that actually drive American diplomacy.
Genres: international-relations, american, non-fiction, 21st-century, american-history
Vibes: thought-provoking
Tropes: institutional-conflicts, issue-based-alliances, personal-relationships
Setting: Turkey, Pakistan
Period: Cold War, 1995-1997
152 pages · Hardcover · Brookings Inst Pr