Hodge (political science, U. of British Columbia-Okanagan, Canada) and Nolan (history, Boston U., US) provide an administration-by- administration review of the foreign policy issues that have defined American presidencies from George Washington to George W. Bush. Each chapter opens with an examination of the early life and political career of the president in question, along with discussion of his path to the presidency. This is followed by narrative examination of key foreign policy initiatives, crises, and wars during the president's term in office. Each chapter concludes with an assessment of the president's foreign policy legacy, a chronology of key dates, and a list of references and further reading. The volume also includes, in addition to an overall chronology, a collection of primary source documents, including excerpts of George Washington's Farewell Address, John O'Sullvian's articulation of Manifest Destiny, Abraham Lincoln's First Inaugural Address, Woodrow Wilson's 1917 war message to the Congress, the 1941 Atlantic Charter, Lyndon Johnson's announcement of the Gulf of Tonkin incident, and George W. Bush's announcement of his strategy of "preemption" in a 2002 address to the graduating class of the US Military Academy. Annotation #169;2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com) Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Edited by Hodge (political science, Univ. of British Columbia; NATO for a New Century: Atlanticism and European Security) and Nolan (history, Boston Univ.; Ethics and Statecraft: The Moral Dimension of International Affairs), this work contains 42 articles written by 29 contributors affiliated with either U.S. or Canadian academic institutions and ranging from doctoral candidates to retired professors in political science, history, and international relations. Spanning four to ten pages, each chronologically organized article outlines the U.S. president's early life and career, his greatest foreign policy challenge(s), and his legacy and also offers a political/foreign policy chronology and brief bibliography. A separate chapter provides 20 primary source documents ranging from George Washington's 1796 Farewell Address in Philadelphia to George W. Bush's 2002 graduation speech at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. A comprehensive U.S. foreign relations time line at the back pulls the individual chronologies into a single resource. The detailed index includes See Also references. Bottom Line Placing foreign policy in historical perspective from the U.S. point of view, this title would work nicely with the more inclusive Encyclopedia of Historical Treaties & Alliances (Facts On File, 2006. 2d ed.). Useful for high school and undergraduate students interested in history and international affairs and recommended for public and academic libraries. [Also available as an e-book (ISBN 1-85109-795-3) or a print/electronic bundle. Ed.] Laurie Selwyn, formerly with Grayson Cty. Law Lib., Sherman, TX Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. From: Reed Elsevier Inc. Copyright Reed Business Information

Has foreign policy, a driving force in today's political scene, always been so strong an element of American government? In the early, more isolated days of the nation, how much did foreign policy matter? This new reference source helps provide the answers to these and other similar questions. The biographical information given for the contributors shows appropriate academic credentials for this undertaking. The information is arranged chronologically, with a section for every president.  Each section begins with some biographical and political information about the particular president and then goes on to describe the major foreign challenges faced by his administration. The section ends with a chronology of important foreign-policy events and a bibliography. Although each entry follows a pattern, the entries vary considerably in length; presidents who served longer or faced major wars obviously require more description. The signed entries themselves are clearly written and are occasionally supplemented by maps or other illustrations.  Following the entries are a collection of 20 primary document selections, an overall chronology of foreign policy, and a comprehensive index. Although this information is likely to be available in other sources, there is much benefit to having it all contained in one place. Comparisons that might otherwise be time-consuming are very easy. Browsing in this volume makes it clear that every administration faced policy decisions involving foreign powers. It is fascinating to find that in the early administrations, like those of James Madison and James Monroe, relations with Native Americans were part of foreign policy. In later administrations, relations with Texas were treated in the same way. The entry on George W. Bush ends with 2002, which somewhat dates this volume, though its value lies in its historical focus rather than currency. Collections that have a focus in American history and policy will want to strongly consider this volume. Although it is probably not essential, its unique perspective makes it highly desirable. Hoover, Danise. From: Syndetics Solutions, Inc. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.

Cathal J. Nolan is associate professor of history at Boston University, Boston, MA, where he also serves as executive director of the International History Institute. Distributed by Syndetic Solutions, Inc.