American Exceptionalism and U.S. Foreign Policy: Public Diplomacy at the End of the Cold War

This book examines a critical time and place in recent world history--the end of the Cold War--and the strategies and values employed in the public dipomacy of the Bush and Clinton Administrations to build domestic and international consensus. It provides insight into the uses of presidential power and provides a model and an illustration for how rhetoric may be used in the study of United States foreign policy. This Book Examines A Critical Period In Recent World History (the End Of The Cold War) And Provides The First In-depth And Systematic Examination Of The Strategies And Values Employed In The Public Diplomacy Of The Bush And Clinton Administrations To Build Domestic And International Consensus. It Provides Insight Into The Uses Of Presidential Power And The Relationships Between National Myths, Elite Perceptions Of The Strategic Environment, And Foreign Policy Stances. It Provides An Illustration Of How The Role And Content Of Rhetoric May Be Studied To Illuminate The Sources And Tensions Of The Foreign Policy Of The United States.--jacket. What Is Public Diplomacy? -- Analytical Approach And Major Findings -- Public Diplomacy And Policy: A Special Relationship -- Rhetoric And Models Of Foreign Policy Analysis -- Recurring Themes -- (r)evolution Of An Idea -- The Recurring Theme Of American Exceptionalism -- Debating Exceptionalism At The End Of The Cold War -- Conclusion: Normative And Rhetorical Challenges -- Rhetoric Of Reconstruction: Containment, Union, And Exceptionalism -- Rhetoric Of Reconstruction: 'moving Beyond Containment' -- Rhetoric Of Reconstruction: The Metaphor Of The American Civil War -- Rhetoric Of Reconstruction: American Exceptionalism -- Crisis, Community, And The Persian Gulf -- The 'defining Moment' -- Building Community -- World War Two Analogies -- Purging Vietnam -- The Gulf War And American Exceptionalism -- The Soviet Crises And Us Public Diplomacy, April 1991 To November 1992 -- The Soviet Crises -- The Summer Summits -- The Soviet Coup And Us 'spin Control' -- Rhetorical Strategies After The Coup -- The End Of The Soviet Union -- The Presidential Campaign And American Exceptionalism -- The Clinton Reconstruction Of 1993: Domestic Renewal And The Global Economy -- The Clinton Vision Of Dystopia -- Rhetoric Of Reconstruction: The 'war Effort' Of 1993 -- Rhetoric Of Reconstruction: Soviet-american Normalization -- Rhetoric Of Exceptionalism And Credibility -- Conclusion: American Exceptionalism And Us Foreign Policy -- Transitional Community-building And Elite Legitimacy -- Exceptionalism And Bush Public Diplomacy. Siobhan Mcevoy-levy. Enlargement Of Author's Thesis (ph. D.)--university Of Cambridge, 1999. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 210-248) And Index. Cover......Page 1 Contents......Page 8 Acknowledgements......Page 10 Introduction......Page 12 What is public diplomacy?......Page 13 Analytical approach and major findings......Page 14 Public diplomacy and policy: A special relationship......Page 19 Rhetoric and models of foreign policy analysis......Page 24 Recurring themes......Page 30 The structure of the book......Page 32 The recurring theme of American exceptionalism......Page 34 Debating exceptionalism at the end of the Cold War......Page 43 Conclusion: normative and rhetorical challenges......Page 54 Introduction......Page 57 Rhetoric of reconstruction: 'moving beyond containment'......Page 60 Rhetoric of reconstruction: the metaphor of the American Civil War......Page 67 Rhetoric of reconstruction: American exceptionalism......Page 72 Conclusion......Page 75 Introduction......Page 82 The 'defining moment'......Page 83 Building community......Page 84 World War Two analogies......Page 89 Purging Vietnam......Page 92 The Gulf War and American exceptionalism......Page 95 Conclusion......Page 99 Introduction......Page 107 The Soviet crises......Page 108 The summer summits......Page 110 The Soviet coup and US 'spin control'......Page 113 Rhetorical strategies after the coup......Page 115 The end of the Soviet Union......Page 117 The Presidential campaign and American exceptionalism......Page 119 Conclusion......Page 125 Introduction......Page 130 The Clinton vision of dystopia......Page 134 Rhetoric of reconstruction: the 'war effort' of 1993......Page 139 Rhetoric of reconstruction: Soviet–American normalization......Page 144 Rhetoric of exceptionalism and credibility......Page 147 Conclusion......Page 149 Conclusion: American Exceptionalism and US Foreign Policy......Page 154 Transitional community-building and elite legitimacy......Page 155 Exceptionalism and Bush public diplomacy......Page 157 Exceptionalism in Clinton public diplomacy......Page 162 Crisis management......Page 165 Building sympathetic public ecologies......Page 167 The shifting meanings of exceptionalism......Page 168 (Re)creating the nation......Page 170 Towards soft hegemony?......Page 173 Notes......Page 176 Bibliography......Page 221 B......Page 260 C......Page 261 E......Page 262 I......Page 263 N......Page 264 P......Page 265 T......Page 266 Z......Page 267 Cover 1 Contents 8 Acknowledgements 10 Introduction 12 What is public diplomacy? 13 Analytical approach and major findings 14 Public diplomacy and policy: A special relationship 19 Rhetoric and models of foreign policy analysis 24 Recurring themes 30 The structure of the book 32 1 (R)evolution of an Idea 34 The recurring theme of American exceptionalism 34 Debating exceptionalism at the end of the Cold War 43 Conclusion: normative and rhetorical challenges 54 2 Rhetoric of Reconstruction: Containment, Union, and Exceptionalism 57 Introduction 57 Rhetoric of reconstruction: 'moving beyond containment' 60 Rhetoric of reconstruction: the metaphor of the American Civil War 67 Rhetoric of reconstruction: American exceptionalism 72 Conclusion 75 3 Crisis, Community, and the Persian Gulf 82 Introduction 82 The 'defining moment' 83 Building community 84 World War Two analogies 89 Purging Vietnam 92 The Gulf War and American exceptionalism 95 Conclusion 99 4 The Soviet Crises and US Public Diplomacy, April 1991 to November 1992 107 Introduction 107 The Soviet crises 108 The summer summits 110 The Soviet coup and US 'spin control' 113 Rhetorical strategies after the coup 115 The end of the Soviet Union 117 The Presidential campaign and American exceptionalism 119 Conclusion 125 5 The Clinton Reconstruction of 1993: Domestic Renewal and the Global Economy 130 Introduction 130 The Clinton vision of dystopia 134 Rhetoric of reconstruction: the 'war effort' of 1993 139 Rhetoric of reconstruction: Soviet–American normalization 144 Rhetoric of exceptionalism and credibility 147 Conclusion 149 Conclusion: American Exceptionalism and US Foreign Policy 154 Transitional community-building and elite legitimacy 155 Exceptionalism and Bush public diplomacy 157 Exceptionalism in Clinton public diplomacy 162 Crisis management 165 Building sympathetic public ecologies 167 The shifting meanings of exceptionalism 168 (Re)creating the nation 170 Towards soft hegemony? 173 Notes 176 Bibliography 221 Index 260 A 260 B 260 C 261 D 262 E 262 F 263 G 263 H 263 I 263 J 264 K 264 L 264 M 264 N 264 O 265 P 265 Q 266 R 266 S 266 T 266 U 267 V 267 W 267 X 267 Y 267 Z 267 The book examines a critical time and place in recent world history (the end of the Cold War) and the strategies and values employed in the public diplomacy of the Bush and Clinton Administrations to build domestic and international consensus. It provides insight into the uses of Presidential power and provides a model and an illustration of how the role of rhetoric may be used to study the foreign policy of the United States. American exceptionalism is a ubiquitous theme of US politics from state and local to national arenas with deep cultural roots.