Realism & US Foreign Policy: The Primacy of Power

This textbook illustrates the utility and limitations of realism to explain broad patterns in US foreign policy.

1. Primacy of Power'Realist Theories and the Study of U.S. Grand Strategy 2. Classical Realism'Statecraft, Balancing Power, and the U.S. Entry into World War II 3. Hegemonic Realism'Outbreak of the Cold War, Preponderance, and the Origins of Containment 4. Neorealism'Bipolar Stability, Nuclear Weapons, and the Long Peace (1962-90) 5. Defensive Realism and Offensive Realism: U.S. Intervention in Korea and Vietnam 6. Neoclassical Realism: Explaining Post-Cold War and Post-9/11 U.S. Foreign Policy