“This book is based on the assumption that in order to understand and explain American foreign policy making, it is imperative to comprehend its complex domestic political context. The editors of this volume do not underestimate the role of the international context of American foreign policy making. Realists point out that the distribution of power on the international system (balance of power) is a principal source of US foreign policy. However, the same theoretical tradition also emphasises the domestic inputs into the American foreign policy making system. Keeping this in view, this volume unravels and examines the domestic patterns and processes of American foreign policy and analyses the intricate role of the competing forces in the foreign policy making of the United States. “