Belligerents, Brinksmanship, and the Big Stick: A Historical Encyclopedia of American Diplomatic Concepts

by John M. Dobson

Overview

This encyclopedia offers authoritative coverage of the concepts, traditions, events, and individuals that shaped United States' foreign relations from the American Revolution to the present.

Belligerents, Brinkmanship, and the Big Stick: A Historical Encyclopedia of American Diplomatic Concepts is the first comprehensive encyclopedic work to focus specifically on America's extraordinary history of political engagement with the world. With hundreds of alphabetically organized entries and a rich collection of primary sources, it offers a unique way of understanding the centrality of diplomacy and the role of foreign relations throughout U.S. history.

The encyclopedia is divided into five chronological sections, each containing a brief introduction, topical entries, biographical portraits, and representative documents. It is designed to help readers gain a deeper understanding of both general ideas as well as specific policies like the Monroe Doctrine, the Open Door Policy, and Shuttle Diplomacy. By examining seminal events, important ideas, and individual contributions in the context of U.S. history, the encyclopedia reveals the underlying traditions and motivations of American foreign policy as it has evolved over time.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781598841312
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/14/2009
Pages:	395
Sales rank:	1,097,319
Product dimensions:	7.00(w) x 10.00(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

John Dobson, PhD, is professor emeritus of history at Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, where he also served as dean of the College of Arts and Science. His published works include ABC-CLIO's Bulls, Bears, Boom, and Bust: A Historical Encyclopedia of American Business Concepts.

Table of Contents

Preface,
Acknowledgments,
Section 1: Inventing a Foreign Policy, 1776–1830,
Key Concepts,
Alliance,
Diplomats,
Embargo,
Impressment,
Jay's Treaty,
Legitimacy,
Louisiana,
Mercantilism,
Monroe Doctrine,
Most Favored Nation,
Neutrality,
Nonimportation,
No-Transfer Principle,
Paper Blockade,
Pinckney's Treaty,
Plan of 1776,
Plenipotentiary,
Quasi-War with France,
Ratification,
Recognition,
Rule of 1756,
Transcontinental Treaty (Florida),
Treaty (Treaty of Paris, 1783),
Uti Possedetus (Treaty of Ghent, 1814),
War Hawks,
XYZ Affair,
Biographies,
Deane, Silas,
Franklin, Benjamin,
Gallatin, Albert,
Genêt, Edmond,
Jay, John,
Livingston, Robert,
Logan, George,
Rush, Richard,
Symmes, John Cleve,
Wilkinson, James,
Section 2: Expansion and Civil War, 1830–1880,
Key Concepts,
Alaska,
Arbitration (Alabama Claims),
China Market,
Filibustering,
First Shot Tradition,
Japan, Opening of,
Joint Resolution (Texas),
King Cotton Diplomacy,
Manifest Destiny,
Mexican War,
Natural Boundaries,
Oregon Claims,
Oregon Fever,
Ostend Manifesto (Cuba),
Recognition as a Belligerent,
Santo Domingo,
Texas Revolution,
Webster-Ashburton Treaty,
Biographies,
Adams, Charles Francis,
Astor, John Jacob,
Bidlack, Benjamin A.,
Burlingame, Anson,
Calhoun, John Caldwell,
Clayton, John Middleton,
Cushing, Caleb,
Gadsden, James,
Harris, Townsend,
Kearny, Stephen Watts,
Perry, Matthew Calbraith,
Scott, Winfield,
Seward, William H.,
Slidell, John
Stockton, Robert Field
Trist, Nicholas
Upshur,Abel,
Van Buren, Martin,
Walker, William,
Webster, Daniel,
Wilkes, Charle,
Section 3: Rise of a Great Power, 1880–1914,
Key Concepts,
Algeciras,
Anti-Imperialism,
Big Stick,
Boxer Rebellion,
Cuban Rebellion,
Dollar Diplomacy,
Gunboat Diplomacy,
Hawaii,
Jingoism,
Mediation (Russo-Japanese War),
Mission,
Neutralization,
New Manifest Destiny,
Olney Corollary,
Open Door Policy,
Panama,
Pan-Americanism,
Platt Amendment,
Protectionism,
Punitive Expedition,
Rapprochement,
Spanish-American-Cuban War,
Sugar,
Biographies,
Adee, Alvey,
Blaine, James Gillespie,
Bryan, William Jennings,
Dewey, George,
Hay, John Milton,
Olney, Richard,
Root, Elihu,
Shufeldt, Robert Wilson,
Stevens, John Leavitt,
Teller, Henry Moore,
Wood, Leonard,
Section 4: The World Wars, 1914–1945,
Key Concepts,
American Expeditionary Force,
Atlantic Charter,
Atomic Diplomacy,
Disarmament,
Four Policemen,
Fourteen Points,
Good Neighbor Policy,
Grand Alliance,
Great War,
Island Hopping,
Isolationism,
Kellogg-Briand Pact,
League of Nations,
Lend-Lease,
Neutrality (1914–1917),
Neutrality Acts,
Non-recognition,
Pearl Harbor,
Quarantine,
Red Scare,
Second Front,
Siberian Expedition,
Stimson Doctrine,
United Nations,
Unrestricted Submarine Warfare,
Yalta,
Biographies,
Hopkins, Harry,
Hughes, Charles Evans,
Hull, Cordell,
Kellogg, Frank B.,
Lodge, Henry Cabot,
Nye, Gerald P.,
Pershing, John J.,
Stimson, Henry L.,
Section 5: The Cold War and After, 1945-,
Key Concepts,
Bay of Pigs,
Berlin,
Brinkmanship,
Bush Doctrine,
Cambodia,
Containment,
Détente,
Free Trade
GATT,
Gulf War,
Hostage Crisis
Iran-Contra,
Israel
Land for Peace,
Liberation of Eastern Europe,
Limited War (Korea),
Marshall Plan,
Massive Retaliation,
North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO),
NSC-68,
Red Scare Again,
Shuttle Diplomacy,
Sputnik,
Tet,
Tonkin Gulf Incident,
Truman Doctrine,
U-2,
War on Terror,
Biographies,
Acheson, Dean,
Dulles, John Foster,
Kissinger, Henry,
Marshall, George C.,
McNamara, Robert Strange,
Rumsfeld, Donald,
Chronology,
Index,
About the Author,

Editorial Reviews

This book should be in all libraries that have a historical focus and particularly those that focus on governments and foreign policy.” —ARBAonline

“This dictionary is suitable for all levels and libraries…” —Library Jourbanal

“College-level libraries strong in political science history will find this a key acquisition, packing in excerpts from key foreign policy documents, treaties, statements and more.” —Midwest Book Review

“The volume will interest a variety of readers: from students and educators to politics and history enthusiasts.” —Reference & Research Book News

“Dobson's comprehensive work uses a chronological structure, covering the years since 1776 in five parts. Each of these sections begins with an overview of American diplomacy during that era. Bolded key concepts refer readers to the more in-depth alphabetically arranged entries that follow, each of which includes meticulous citing of footnotes and sources. Biographies of important period diplomats conclude each section. Primary sources are emphasized throughout, with excerpts from, or the full text of, speeches and important documents, such as a letter from William Seward to Abraham Lincoln on the eve of the Civil War, Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, and the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, appearing in text boxes. Back matter includes a detailed chronology with entry titles bolded for easy access. Black-and-white photos and illustrations offer additional material. Elegant organization makes Belligerents an ideal reference work; Dobson's clear explanations of big-picture concepts and how they relate to specific situations in American history make this a readable and useful resource.” —School Library Jourbanal

“Using a chronological framework, the author has produced a reference source that enables a user to comprehend how U.S. foreign policy changed over time. . . . The author's experiences at home and abroad have given him a broader perspective than many, and his teaching skills enable him to write for an audience that knows some things but would like to learn more about why Americans think and behave as they do regarding other cultures. Some aspects of U.S. foreign policy are rooted in values; others are based on pragmatism. This book helps serious readers sort that out and is recommended for academic libraries and large public library collections. Also available as an e-book.” —Booklist

“This reference book also could serve as a handy supplemental text for political science classes covering American foreign relations. . . . Recommended. Lower- and upper-level undergraduates; general readers.” —Choice

From the Publisher

Following the same format as Dobson's previous Bulls, Bears, Boom, and Bust: A Historical Encyclopedia of American Business (ABC-CLIO, 2006), this work on U.S. diplomacy is arranged in five historical sections and covers the period from 1776 to the War on Terror. Each section starts with a three-page introduction, defines about 25 terms, and includes as many as 20 American biographical entries (some with illustrations) of the figures important to the era, ending with Donald Rumsfeld. Further references follow each entry, though none to web sites. Although the definitions of the 125 concepts, such as gunboat diplomacy, Pearl Harbor, Hostage Crisis, and Iran-Contra, are succinct and well written, the volume functions better for engaged reading than for quick lookup. It is also resolutely United States-oriented. Dobson (emeritus, history, Iowa State and Oklahoma State Univ.) has written five monographs on business and politics, mostly of the Gilded Age of American history. A more interesting volume for students (for its more recent inclusions of such entries as "Bush Doctrine" and "Afghanistan") might be Tom Lansford's Historical Dictionary of U.S. Diplomacy Since the Cold War (Scarecrow, 2007). BOTTOM LINE This dictionary is suitable for all levels and libraries, although it is not comprehensive enough to replace the most authoritative work on the subject, Alexander DeConde's three-volume Encyclopedia of American Foreign Policy (Scribner, 2002. 2d ed.). Buy it if you have no other one-volume handbook on U.S. foreign policy.—Janice Dunham, John Jay Coll. Lib., CUNY

Library Journal

Gr 10 Up—Dobson's comprehensive work uses a chronological structure, covering the years since 1776 in five parts. Each of these sections begins with an overview of American diplomacy during that era. Bolded key concepts refer readers to the more in-depth alphabetically arranged entries that follow, each of which includes meticulous citing of footnotes and sources. Biographies of important period diplomats conclude each section. Primary sources are emphasized throughout, with excerpts from, or the full text of, speeches and important documents, such as a letter from William Seward to Abraham Lincoln on the eve of the Civil War, Woodrow Wilson's Fourteen Points, and the Tonkin Gulf Resolution, appearing in text boxes. Back matter includes a detailed chronology with entry titles bolded for easy access. Black-and-white photos and illustrations offer additional material. Elegant organization makes Belligerents an ideal reference work; Dobson's clear explanations of big-picture concepts and how they relate to specific situations in American history make this a readable and useful resource.—Kathleen Kelly MacMillan, Carroll County Public Library, MD

School Library Journal