American Foreign Policy and the Utopian Imagination

"With the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War, American decision makers have been forced to confront anew questions about the role of the United States in world affairs. What are the responsibilities of the United States toward other countries? What are the appropriate uses and limitations of American power? And what, from an American point of view, would be the ideal shape of the imagined New World Order?".

"However U.S. policymakers resolve such issues, their thinking will be influenced by assumptions deeply embedded in American culture. Some of those beliefs derive from the nation's distinctive history, geography, and resources. But others are rooted in what Susan M. Matarese call the "national image" - a set of emotionally charged, relatively coherent ideas about the special qualities of the United States and its place in the world."--BOOK JACKET.