AMERICAN PRESIDENTS IN DIPLOMACY AND WAR : statecraft, foreign policy, and leadership

By analyzing how America’s greatest presidents displayed their mastery of statecraft, American Presidents in Diplomacy and War offers important lessons about the most effective uses of national power abroad. American Presidents in Diplomacy and War chronicles the major foreign policy crises faced by twelve American presidents in order to uncover the reoccurring patterns of successful and less successful uses of diplomatic, economic, and military power. In this brief and highly readable book, Thomas R. Parker reveals how America’s most successful leaders manage events instead of allowing events to control them. Parker explores how the U.S. presidency, from the days of the early Republic to the present, shaped the world. Ranging from George Washington to George H. W. Bush, Parker shows how successful statecraft requires the understanding of complex situations, the prudent evaluation of various courses of action, the ability to adapt and to anticipate, and personal determination. Parker compares each of these leaders to their contemporaries―reasonable political leaders who nonetheless made serious mistakes, such as Thomas Jefferson and Barack Obama―to examine the dangers of being unable to strike the right balance of aggressiveness and caution and to examine the costs of inexperience and ambivalence toward military power. The book concludes by discussing the increasingly complex international situation of today, particularly the manifold challenges posed by China and Russia to U.S. foreign policy, and the continued necessity of effective statecraft.

By analyzing how America's greatest presidents displayedtheir mastery of statecraft, American Presidents in Diplomacyand War offers important lessons about the most effective usesof national power abroad.

American Presidents in Diplomacy and War chronicles themajor foreign policy crises faced by twelve American presidents inorder to uncover the reoccurring patterns of successful and lesssuccessful uses of diplomatic, economic, and military power. Inthis brief and highly readable book, Thomas R. Parker reveals howAmerica's most successful leaders manage events instead of allowingevents to control them.

Parker explores how the U.S. presidency, from the days of theearly Republic to the present, shaped the world. Ranging fromGeorge Washington to George H. W. Bush, Parker shows how successfulstatecraft requires the understanding of complex situations, theprudent evaluation of various courses of action, the ability toadapt and to anticipate, and personal determination. Parkercompares each of these leaders to their contemporaries-reasonablepolitical leaders who nonetheless made serious mistakes, such asThomas Jefferson and Barack Obama-to examine the dangers of beingunable to strike the right balance of aggressiveness and cautionand to examine the costs of inexperience and ambivalence towardmilitary power. The book concludes by discussing the increasinglycomplex international situation of today, particularly the manifoldchallenges posed by China and Russia to U.S. foreign policy, andthe continued necessity of effective statecraft.

By analyzing how Americas greatest presidents displayed their mastery of statecraft, American Presidents in Diplomacy and War offers important lessons about the most effective uses of national power abroad. American Presidents in Diplomacy and War chronicles the major foreign policy crises faced by twelve American presidents in order to uncover the reoccurring patterns of successful and less successful uses of diplomatic, economic, and military power. In this brief and highly readable book, Thomas Parker reveals how Americas most successful leaders manage events instead of allowing events to control them. Parker explores how the U.S. presidency, from the days of the early Republic to the present, shaped the world. Ranging from Presidents George Washington to George H. W. Bush, Parker shows how successful statecraft requires the understanding of complex situations, the prudent evaluation of various courses of action, the ability to adapt and to anticipate, and personal determination. Parker compares each of these leaders to their contemporariesreasonable political leaders who nonetheless made serious mistakes, such as Thomas Jefferson and Barack Obamato examine the dangers of being unable to strike the right balance of aggressiveness and caution and to examine the costs of inexperience and ambivalence towards military power. The book concludes by discussing the increasingly complex international situation of today, particularly the manifold challenges posed by China and Russia to U.S. foreign policy, and the continued necessity of effective statecraft.