Towards the end of his second term, it appears George W. Bush's foreign policy has won few admirers, with pundits and politicians eagerly and opportunistically bashing the tenets of the Bush Doctrine. This provocative account dares to counter the dogma of Bush's Beltway detractors and his ideological enemies, boldly arguing that Bush's policy deservedly belongs within the mainstream of the American foreign policy tradition. Though the shifting tide of public opinion has led many to anticipate that his successor will repudiate the actions of the past eight years, authors Timothy Lynch and Robert S. Singh suggest that there will-and should-be continuity in US foreign policy from his Presidency to those who follow. Providing a positive audit of the war on terror (which they contend should be understood as a Second Cold War) they charge that the Bush Doctrine has been consistent with past foreign policies-from Republican and Democratic presidencies-and that the key elements of Bush's grand strategy will rightly continue to shape America's approach in the future. Above all, they predict that his successors will pursue the war against Islamist terror with similar dedication.

Just as President Truman's unpopularity did not lead to the abandonment of the Truman Doctrine in the waging of the Cold War, George W. Bush's unpopularity shouldn't lead to the abandonment of the Bush Doctrine in the waging of the "War on Terror," or as Lynch (American foreign policy, U. of London, UK) and Singh (politics, U. of London, UK) would have it, the "Second Cold War." They argue that the "Second Cold War" has on balance been a success, even if the Iraq War has been mismanaged (but not misconceived), and predict that Bush's approach to the Middle East will be retained by future presidents and that these policies will command broad domestic consensus. They also predict that the United States will maintain unparalleled international primacy that will be accepted by allies "in the face of a new global enemy." Annotation ©2008 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

Analyzes the future of US foreign policy after George W. Bush, arguing for continuity.

This provocative account dares to counter the dogma of Bush's Beltway detractors and his ideological enemies, boldly arguing that Bush's policy deservedly belongs within the mainstream of the American foreign policy tradition.