American Doctrines

This book claims to read the history of United States foreign policy, spanning over two centuries, not merely through events and crises, but through the “doctrines” that shaped them. These doctrines, extending from Monroe to Biden and each named after a president, offer a chronological map of the US's rise, hesitations, crises, and transformations on the world stage. Treating these doctrines not just as technical policy documents but as “political signatures” that reflect the mindset, leadership, quest for legitimacy, and conception of power of an era, this study reveals the points of continuity and rupture. In the line extending from the isolationist Monroe to the global interventionist Truman, from the ideological Reagan to the multilateralist Obama, from the Trump who said “America First” to the Biden trying to mend alliances, this collective work is an essential reference for understanding the transformation of American hegemony and the international system. Drawing from different disciplines and methodologies, this collective work provides the reader with both a theoretical framework and in-depth historical analyses, enabling the evaluation of today’s complex international dynamics through the doctrinal prism of the past. It is an indispensable guide for anyone curious about the DNA of American foreign policy.