Through its military policy and foreign policy, America attained superpower status in a remarkably short period of time. Nations survive based on their ability to provide internal order and external defense. Unfortunately, foreign policy goals are not always attained, and sometimes those goals are based on questionable concepts. Power and Policy examines the relationship of the US military and naval power with its foreign policy objectives, exploring the policies and the use of force that propelled the United States into the first ranks of world power.Â

The book asks when military action is needed and how such action can change the very context within which foreign policy unfolds. The study focuses on twelve major decisive events in history during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, including:

    a hurricane in Samoa and its effect on the German and US navies,

    the outcomes that followed the Spanish-American War,

    the role of Panama in the development of a trans-continental powerhouse,

    the US approach to southern neighbors including Nicaragua and Mexico,

    maneuvering for a stronger global position at the conclusion of World War I,

    and the establishment of naval parity with Great Britain.

The facts, background and analysis enable readers to understand interventions that defined and then re-defined United States foreign policy for the rest of the 20th century.

Documented with illustrations of policy debates and with tables listing the evolution in US naval strength as the country spanned the continent, both the requirement and the means are explained for the shift from a stance of coastal defense to world power. A great gift for men and women interested in US history, military history, and naval history, Power and Policy examines the origins of US involvement with guerilla war and terrorism; the evolution of the Military-Industrial Complex; the establishment of the dollar as a reserve currency; and America's self-declared mission to spread its influence, under the banner of "democracy," worldwide.