U.S. foreign policy and European security /

Although other books have treated in depth various specific aspects of the US role in the NATO alliance, this little volume provides a very useful, concise overview of America's relationship with Western Europe from the end of WW II to the middle of the Reagan administration. The author discusses the general environment of foreign policy-making in each US administration, then focuses on the efforts of each to address the major questions of European political and military (if not economic) security. This extended essay is surprisingly thorough in its treatment of complex historical episodes, although unfortunately it was published before the controversy over NATO intermediate range missiles had come to a close. Using long experience as an academic and publicist, the author provides a well-informed, balanced perspective, yet also offers some cautious criticisms. Undergraduates studying US foreign policy or European security would find this a useful and readable survey; upper-division students and specialists can read it as a personal essay on familiar topics by an experienced observer.-C. Clemens, College of William and Mary