The Changing Parameters of U.S. Foreign Policy

The 1990s now appear as a time of unprecedented economic growth, of unchallenged American hegemony, and of emerging new democracies in the world. The altered international situation required reconsidering Americas strategic interests and devising new foreign policy paradigms. But what were the guiding ideological traditions in conducting foreign policy in this new era? How did the new Clinton Administration react to this sudden end of the Cold War and how did the administration adapt Americas strategic interests and commitments to the new international situation?
Trying to answer these questions, the author applies a discourse analysis and draws on the neo-classical realist model of explaining change in foreign policy. Despite underlying continuities Clintons early liberal internationalist foreign policy underwent a metamorphosis when faced with the complex reality of the world. Changing Parameters is a compelling study that provides an insightful overview of the changing foreignpolicy discourse and its consequences for military interventions.