American Foreign Policy

World affairs are constantly in flux, so students need to be prepared not just to know what’s happening in the headlines but how to make sense of those events. Hastedt’s American Foreign Policy helps students develop the critical thinking skills needed to participate in debates about foreign relations—today and throughout their lives. Rather than focus on normative questions about what direction the country should take on the world stage, this text is designed to provide the historical and institutional context for the foreign policy process, from the governmental and civil society actors involved to the issues that comprise the conduct and content of American foreign policy.

This thirteenth edition comes at a time when Biden’s presidency is facing some of the most important foreign policy questions in a generation, from the U.S.-withdrawal from Afghanistan to what we should do about the Russian invasion of Ukraine. These issues have emerged as many of the traditional foundations in American foreign policy have been disrupted during the Trump administration, pleasing some and angering others but almost uniformly raising political tensions at home and abroad. The revision includes up-to-date coverage of the war in Ukraine, the U.S.

exit from Afghanistan, health diplomacy and the response to COVID, the resurgence of great power politics, and other features of the Biden administration’s foreign policy. Features: NEW! Learning Objectives frame the expected student outcomes for each chapterUpdated On the Agenda features open each chapter to set the stage and tie a current policy issue into the chapter content. (formerly called “Dateline”)Updated Historical Lesson boxes provide context from the past to help understand today’s policy challenges, including “Applying the Lessons” critical thinking questionsUpdated Over the Horizon chapter-ending features present a speculative view to the future to spur student thinking about how American foreign policy might evolveExpanded Critical Thinking Questions at the end of each chapter engage students in higher order thinking beyond rote memorizationKey Terms lists at the end of each chapter are a useful study aid for studentsExpanded art program includes additional tables to help engage diverse learning styles