Now in its second edition, American Adventurism Abroad traces US foreign policy from the late 1940s through the past six years of America's "war on terror," and examines the impact of its repeated militaristic meddling into developing nations.

List of Tables. List of Abbreviations. Introduction to the Revised Edition. Introduction. Part I: The Early Years: Embracing a New Role, 1945–1960. 1. From World War II to the Cold War: The Truman Years, 1945–52. Introduction to the European Region. Case 1: Greece, 1947–9. Case 2: Italy, 1948. Case 3: Philippines, 1946–53. Introduction to the East Asian Region. Bibliography. 2. The Expanding Empire Under Eisenhower, 1953–60. Introduction to the Middle East. Case 4: Iran, 1953. Introduction to the Western Hemisphere. Case 5: Guatemala, 1954. Case 6: Lebanon, 1958. Introduction to the Southeast Asia Sub-Region: Indochina–I. Bibliography. Part II: The Extremist Years, 1961–1976. 3. The Kennedy–Johnson Idealist Extensions, 1961–8. Introduction to the African Region. Case 7: Congo, 1961–5. Case 8: Cuba, 1961. Case 9: British Guiana, 1961–6. Indochina–II. Case 10: Laos, 1961–73. Case 11: South Vietnam, 1961–5. Case 12: Brazil, 1964. Case 13: Dominican Republic, 1961–6. Case 14: Indonesia, 1965–6. Postscript: Greece, 1967–74. Bibliography. 4. The Nixon–Ford Realist Consolidations, 1969–76. Case 15: Cambodia, 1970. Case 16: Kurdistan, 1971–5. Case 17: Chile, 1973. Case 18: Angola, 1975. Case 19: Australia, 1975. Case 20: East Timor, 1975. Bibliography. Part III: The Four-Year Aberration, 1977–1980. 5. Jimmy Carter’s Human Rights Pause, 1977–80. Bibliography. Part IV: Transition to the Post-Cold War Era, 1981–2001. 6. Ronald Reagan: The Last Cold Warrior, 1981–8. Case 21: El Salvador, 1979–91. Case 22: Nicaragua, 1981–8. Case 23: Grenada, 1983. Case 24: Libya, 1981–6. Case 25: Afghanistan, 1981–8. Bibliography. 7. The Post-Cold War Era: Bush, Clinton, and the Search for New Themes, 1989–2000. Case 26: Panama, 1989. Case 27: Iraq, 1991. Case 28: Somalia, 1992–94. Case 29: Haiti, 1994. Case 30: Yugoslavia, 1995 and 1999. Bibliography. Part V: The Attacks of 9-11 and the Start of a New Era. 8. George W. Bush and the “War on Terror”. Case 31: Afghanistan, 2001ff. Case 32: Iraq, 2003ff. Case 33: Venezuela, 2002. Case 34: Haiti, 2004. Bibliography. Conclusion. Index. .

Since the end of World War II, the United States has embarked on a succession of military and economic interventions, invasions and regime changes across the globe. Whether in the name of containing communism during the Cold War or fighting global terrorism post-9/11, the United States has a long history of rationalizing its interventions into developing countries. Yet as Michael Sullivan shows, a sober look at the facts reveals this adventurism abroad to have had a primary rationale – that of establishing itself as the world’s only superpower and the pre-eminent force of the global capitalist system irrespective of the tremendous political and social cost to the countries involved. From the “mere” loss of democracy to civil war and the consolidation of authoritarianism, 500 years of local politics have been interrupted as result of America’s actions. Moreover, the US military’s might and superior technology has led to a disproportionate destruction of life – with more than seven million war-related deaths at the sites of US interventions. In this revised paperback edition, American Adventurism Abroad traces US foreign policy from the late 1940s through the past six years of America’s 'war on terror.' Comprising 34 case studies of overseas US militaristic meddling throughout this period, drawn from eleven presidencies and five geographic regions, and complete with extensive bibliographies, this volume offers a detailed and compelling picture of American foreign policy and its position in the world today.