Books by Michael H. Hunt

Repeatedly in the twentieth century, the United States has been involved in confrontations with other countries, each with the potential for widespread international and domestic upheaval, even disaster. In this book Michael Hunt focuses on seven such crises, presenting for each an illuminating introduction and a rich collection of original documents. His epilogue considers the nature of international crises and the U.S. record in dealing with them.The case studies include:the American entry into World War I the Japanese-American rivalry that led to Pearl Harborthe origins of the U.S.-Soviet Cold Warthe collision between China and the United States during the Korean Warthe confrontation over Soviet missiles in CubaLyndon Johnsons commitment to war in Vietnamand the American entanglement in the Iranian revolutionThe studies allow the reader to see U.S. foreign policymaking firsthand and to understand it as something that is shaped by interactions with other nations and leaders as well as by American values, attitudes, and needs. To provide an international perspective, both the narrative and the documents give as much attention to foreign policymakers as to their American counterparts, emphasizing the invariably dynamic, often confused, and sometimes chaotic interaction between the two sides.

The Hill and Wang Critical Issues Series: concise, affordable works on pivotal topics in American history, society, and politics.Using newly available documents from both American and Vietnamese archives, Michael H. Hunt's Lyndon Johnson's War reinterprets the values, choices, misconceptions, and miscalculations that shaped the long process of American intervention in Southeast Asia, and renders more comprehensible--if no less troubling--the tangled origins of the war.

Arc of Empire: America's Wars in Asia from the Philippines to Vietnam

This new edition of Michael H. Hunt's classic reinterpretation of American diplomatic history includes a preface that reflects on the personal experience and intellectual agenda behind the writing of the book, surveys the broad impact of the book's argument, and addresses the challenges to the thesis since the book's original publication. In the wake of 9/11 this interpretation is more pertinent than ever.Praise for the previous edition:"e;Clearly written and historically sound. . . . A subtle critique and analysis."e;Gaddis Smith, Foreign Affairs"e;A lean, plain-spoken treatment of a grand subject. . . . A bold piece of criticism and advocacy. . . . The right focus of the argument may insure its survival as one of the basic postwar critiques of U.S. policy."e;John W. Dower, Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists"e;A work of intellectual vigor and daring, impressive in its scholarship and imaginative in its use of material."e;Ronald Steel, Reviews in American History"e;A masterpiece of historical compression."e;Wilson QuarterlyA penetrating and provocative study. . . . A pleasure both to read and to contemplate."e;John Martz, Journal of Politics

What road did Americans travel to reach global preeminence? Taking the long historical view, this book demonstrates that wealth, confidence, and leadership were key elements to America's ascent.