02Nov 2015
The Domestic Politics of US Foreign Policy according to Helen Milner and Dustin Tingley
19:42 - By Vinicius Rodrigues Vieira
| Does the United States rely too much on the use of military power and coercion in its foreign policies? Sailing the Water’s Edge (Princeton University Press, 2015), a book just launched by Professor Helen Milner, former IPSA president and proudly our RC colleague, and Dustin Tingley, answer this question as it explores the interaction between domestic U.S. politics and foreign policy choices since World War II. |  |
Milner (Princeton University) and Tingley (Harvard University) consider how the American Congress and interest groups have substantial material interests in and ideological divisions around certain issues and that these factors constrain presidents from applying specific tools. As a result, presidents select instruments that they have more control over, such as use of the military. The book is essential for those interested in understanding the limits of the American power in a more competitive international context, such as the current one.