Michael Cox is Professor Emeritus of International Relations at the London School of Economics and Director of LSE IDEAS - the top ranked university affiliated Think Tank in Europe. The author and editor of over 25 books including major studies on E.H .Carr, the end of the Cold War and US Foreign policy, his more recent work has focused on challenging what he thinks are the three myths of our time: the notion that the 21st century will be Asian, the now widespread view that the decline of the United States is inevitable, and the associated belief that we are moving into a post- western world order.

Doug Stokes is Professor of International Relations and Director of the Centre for Advanced International Studies and Faculty Director of Post-Graduate Research at the University of Exeter. He specializes in US foreign policy, international security and debates on grand strategy and has published a number of books, journal articles and book chapters in these areas. Professor Stokes has also advised and presented his research to a range of UK government organisations and agencies and is Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute, a leading defence think tank based in Whitehall.

• 1: Introduction, Cox and Stokes


• Part 1: Rethinking America


• 2: Theories of US foreign policy, Schmidt


• 3: American Exceptionalism, Deudney and Meiser


• Part 2: Historical Contexts


• 4: The US rise to world power 1776-1945, LaFeber


• 5: The Economic Rise of a Superpower: From Washington to Trump, Cox


• 6: American foreign policy during the Cold War, Saull


• 7: America in the 1990s, Dumbrell


• 8: The 21st century and smart power, Nye


• Part 3: Institutions and Processes


• 9: Domestic influences on foreign policy-making, Parmar and Aronica


• 10: Regional shifts and US foreign policy, Trubowitz


• 11: Media and US Foreign Policy, Robinson


• Part 4: The United States and the World


• 12: US foreign policy in the Middle East, Dodge


• 13: The USA and the EU, Smith


• 14: US foreign policy in Russia, Rutland


• 15: US foreign policy in the Asia-Pacific, Zhang


• 16: US foreign policy in Latin America, Dunkerley


• 17: US foreign policy in Africa, Patman


• Part 5: Key Issues


• 18: Global terrorism, Rogers


• 19: Religion, Marsden


• 20: Gender, Bashevkin


• 21: Global Environment, Eckersley


• Part 6: Futures and Scenarios


• 22: The American Liberal Order: from Creation, Ikenberry to Crisis, Ikenberry


• 23: Drifting Apart?: The Emerging End of the Transatlantic Partnership, Walt


• 24: The future of US foreign policy, Lieven


• 25: US primary or decline?: a debate, Layne, Wohlforth and Brooks