Skip to main content Skip to navigation

American Exceptionalism and the Legacy of Vietnam

American Exceptionalism and the Legacy of Vietnam. U.S. Foreign Policy Since 1974
Palgrave, December 2003
ISBN   0333970144
248 Pages

Synopsis

American Exceptionalism and the Legacy of Vietnam examines the influence of the belief in American exceptionalism on the history of U.S. foreign policy since the Vietnam War. Trevor B. McCrisken analyzes attempts by each post-Vietnam U.S. administration to revive the popular belief in exceptionalism both rhetorically and by pursuing foreign policy supposedly grounded in traditional American principles. He argues that exceptionalism consistently provided the framework for foreign policy discourse but that the conduct of foreign affairs was limited by the Vietnam syndrome.

Contents

Acknowledgements

American Exceptionalism: An Introduction

The End of American Exceptionalism? The Cold War and Vietnam

Gerald Ford and the Time for Healing

Jimmy Carter - Morality and the Crisis of Confidence

Ronald Reagan - 'America is Back'

George Bush - the 'Vision Thing' and the New World Order

Bill Clinton and the 'Indispensable Nation'

Conclusions: American Exceptionalism and the Legacy of Vietnam

Notes

Select Bibliography

Index