Product Description: In The Juridical Nature of Unilateral Acts of States in International Law Eva Kassoti explores the question of the legal nature of unilateral acts by focusing on their essential characteristics, namely unilateralism and the manifest intention to be bound...read more

The pattern of multilateral engagement and unilateral retrenchment in American foreign policy from the Cold War through the Clinton, Bush, and Obama years presents a puzzle. What accounts for the unilateralist turn? Is it a passing aberration attributable to the neoconservative ideology of the Bush administration? What then of the disengagement evident earlier during Clinton’s presidency, or its continuation under Obama? Was the U.S. investment in multilateral institutions following World War II an anomaly? Or is the more recent retreat from international institutions the irregularity? Skidmore traces U.S. unilateralism to the structural effects of the end of the Cold War, both domestically and abroad, to argue that the United States was more hegemonic than multilateralist―a rule-maker, not a rule-taker. An "institutional bargain" existed under the Cold War threat from the Soviets, but absent those imperatives the United States has been less willing to provide collective goods through strong international institutions and other states are less willing to defer to U.S. exemptions. On the home front, the post-Cold War political environment has made it more difficult for presidents to resist the appeals of powerful interests who are threatened by multilateral commitments. This book demonstrates that American unilateralism has deeper roots and more resilience than many expect. The unilateral temptation can only be overcome through new political bargains domestically and internationally that permit multilateral engagement, even the absence of great power rivalry.

Product Description: There are various opinions on the relevance of the United Nations concerning the authorisation of the use of force. Idealists demand UN authorisation for any type of intervention and strict adherence to a narrow interpretation of international law...read more

An analysis of America's pursuit of domination predicts negative consequences if the Bush administration is enabled to pursue a goal of global supremacy.

An analysis of America's pursuit of domination predicts negative consequences if the Bush administration is enabled to pursue a goal of global supremacy.

Product Description: This book deals with the identification of the aggressor state under International Law. This issue raises a deceptively easy question, that is, how does one distinguish the aggressor state from the victim state in situations involving the unilateral use of force? In a straightforward situation where state A attacks state B without any provocation, it is clear that state A is the aggressor...read more

Product Description: This volume explores the reasons why American leaders from the 1700s onwards frequently adopt policies of unilateralism. Thomas M. Kane presents fresh explanations for America’s invasion of Iraq and defiance of international agreements, which go much deeper than conventional critiques of particular presidents to examine the real significance of the September 11 attacks...read more

The sequel to Hegemony or Survival offers a comprehensive analysis of the foreign and domestic policies of the United States--a global superpower that has long claimed the right to reshape other nations while its own democratic institutions are in severe crisis and its policies and practices have recklessly placed the world on the brink of disaster. Reprint.

The two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning historian explores the war in Iraq, the presidency of George W. Bush, and the future of democracy warning readers about the dangers of America's policy shift from containment to preventive war, discussing Bush's revival of the 'imperial presidency,' and urging for continued patriotism in the face of dissent. Reprint. 25,000 first printing.

A senior fellow in Foreign Policy Studies at the Brookings Institution traces the evolution of George Bush's world view, and the subsequent revolution in foreign policy it sparked in the wake of 9/11--a complete re-alignment of old treaties and alliances that is nevertheless in line with the president's long-standing beliefs on the subject. Reprint.

Analyzes and critques the actions taken by the Bush administration following the September 11th terrorist attacks, discussing how the administration mishandled foreign policy decision-making. Reprint. 17,500 first printing.

In recent years American foreign policy has taken a unilateralist turn. Confident of America's economic supremacy and cultural magnetism, the Bush administration has embarked on an ambitious mission to further American interests and reshape global order. In this compelling and insightful book, Christian Reus-Smit offers a sustained critique of the Bush Doctrine and its impact on the United States and the world community. Far from being a realistic response to the challenges of the post-September 11 global order, Reus-Smit contends that the current neo-conservative approach to foreign policy is deeply idealist and naive. He argues that the quest to re-establish US hegemony in the contemporary world is based on a flawed understanding of the nature of power and the complexities of the global system. This has led Washington to pursue policies ill-suited to addressing current sources of global disorder, such as intra-state conflict and transnational violence, inequality, alienation and environmental degradation. If this trend continues, Reus-Smit warns that it will have serious implications for global order and justice in the 21st Century.

A critical analysis of the Bush administration's foreign policy notes America's abandonment of multiple international treaties and agreements in the months prior to the September 11 attacks, stating how the United States has become a solitary rogue state despite its good intentions while citing flawed decisions that contributed to current crises. Reprint. 40,000 first printing.