American Presidents and the United Nations

Praise for American Presidents and the United Nations: Internationalism in the Balance

"This carefully researched and clearly written study presents a comprehensive assessment of how U.S. presidents have engaged in international diplomacy through the United Nations from its founding to the present. With judicious and painstaking attention to detail, the authors explain American challenges and successes with the United Nations, providing a frank assessment of future prospects for cooperation. The instructive, engaging case studies are essential reading for scholars and classes on American foreign policy and international relations."

-- Meena Bose, The Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the Presidency, Hofstra University

"Moore and Pubantz have not only written a much-needed text capturing the historical trends and ideological themes in U.S. international engagement, but they have revealed the critical role American presidents have played in altering the political commitments and diplomatic tenor at the United Nations. For students, scholars, and the public, their book provides a compact and compelling look at the competing political forces and the dominant personalities structuring the ‘liberal international order’ during the past seventy-five years. Detailing the two-decades-long trend of U.S. presidents preferring unilateral over multilateral diplomacy, they also show that President Trump's rejection of international allies and institutions was more a continuation and culmination than a complete departure. Despite the fact that many of the world's current crises are global in nature--from the coronavirus pandemic and climate change to economic inequality and racial justice--the authors rightly conclude that a revitalization of American-led international institutions, with the U.N. playing a key role, is not a given because public opinion remains divided over their effectiveness in promoting peace and prosperity."

--Lara Brown, Director, The Graduate School of Political Management, George Washington University

"American Presidents and the United Nations: Internationalism in the Balance should be an indispensable part of any personal library focusing on international affairs or American politics. Much of the 20th and 21st centuries have involved starts and stops in creating an institutional manifestation of international community, and the world greatest power for most of this time has been the United States. Often over the past 75 years, the UN has been both a real institution constantly evolving to address global issues and a symbol in American politics. American presidents have variously considered it the U.S.’s tether to the world, a useful place to exercise leadership, a flawed but necessary part of international diplomacy, or, in the last few years, a hostile place thwarting American interests. In the end, the UN is what one Secretary of State, Lawrence Eagleburger, once told my students: ‘If the UN did not exist, we would have to invent it.’ For it to survive, we do not have to invent it, but we do have to reform it to reflect the realities of a new and much more globalized world. This new book captures this history, this debate, and this reality. "

--Shelton L. Williams, President, The Osgood Center for International Studies, Washington, D.C.

Praise for American Presidents and the United Nations: Internationalism in the Balance

"This carefully researched and clearly written study presents a comprehensive assessment of how U.S. presidents have engaged in international diplomacy through the United Nations from its founding to the present. With judicious and painstaking attention to detail, the authors explain American challenges and successes with the United Nations, providing a frank assessment of future prospects for cooperation. The instructive, engaging case studies are essential reading for scholars and classes on American foreign policy and international relations."

Meena Bose,The Peter S. Kalikow Center for the Study of the Presidency, Hofstra University

"Moore and Pubantz have not only written a much-needed text capturing the historical trends and ideological themes in U.S. international engagement, but they have revealed the critical role American presidents have played in altering the political commitments and diplomatic tenor at the United Nations. For students, scholars, and the public, their book provides a compact and compelling look at the competing political forces and the dominant personalities structuring the ‘liberal international order’ during the past seventy-five years. Detailing the two-decades-long trend of U.S. presidents preferring unilateral over multilateral diplomacy, they also show that President Trump's rejection of international allies and institutions was more a continuation and culmination than a complete departure. Despite the fact that many of the world's current crises are global in nature—from the coronavirus pandemic and climate change to economic inequality and racial justice—the authors rightly conclude that a revitalization of American-led international institutions, with the U.N. playing a key role, is not a given because public opinion remains divided over their effectiveness in promoting peace and prosperity."

Lara Brown, Director, The Graduate School of Political Management, George Washington University

"American Presidents and the United Nations: Internationalism in the Balance should be an indispensable part of any personal library focusing on international affairs or American politics. Much of the 20th and 21st centuries have involved starts and stops in creating an institutional manifestation of the international community, and the world's greatest power for most of this time has been the United States. Often over the past 75 years, the UN has been both a real institution constantly evolving to address global issues and a symbol in American politics. American presidents have variously considered it the U.S.’s tether to the world, a useful place to exercise leadership, a flawed but necessary part of international diplomacy, or, in the last few years, a hostile place thwarting American interests. In the end, the UN is what one Secretary of State, Lawrence Eagleburger, once told my students: ‘If the UN did not exist, we would have to invent it.’ For it to survive, we do not have to invent it, but we do have to reform it to reflect the realities of a new and much more globalized world. This new book captures this history, this debate, and this reality."

Shelton L. Williams, President, The Osgood Center for International Studies, Washington, D.C.

"Overall, American Presidents and the United Nations will be especially useful for undergraduates and would make a fine addition to any U.S foreign policy or American presidency syllabus. Not only is it concise and clearly written, but each chapter also provides a bibliography of both primary and secondary sources, making it an excellent resource for students"

Tizoc CHavez,Colby College