America and the Cold War, 1941-1991: A Realist Interpretation

What were the origins of the Cold War? What policies fueled it? Why did the Cold War perpetuate the nuclear arms race? How did it end? Who "won" the Cold War and why does it matter? The significance of the debate surrounding the answers to these questions makes for fascinating reading as it sheds light on the late 20th century---and its aftermath

America and the Cold War, 1941-1991: A Realist Interpretation is a sweeping historical account that focuses on the policy differences at the center of this conflict. In its pages, three preeminent authors offer an examination of contemporary criticism of the Cold War, documenting the views of observers who appreciated that many policies of the period were not only dangerous, but could not resolve the very problems they contemplated.

The study offers a comprehensive chronicle of U.S. Soviet relations from World War II to the collapse of the Soviet Union. It places the origins of the Cold War as related to the contentious issues of World War II and stresses the failure of Washington to understand or seriously seek settlement of those issues. It points out how nuclear weaponry gradually assumed political stature and came to dominate high-level, Soviet-American diplomatic activity, at the same time discounting the nation that the Cold War was a global ideological confrontation for the future of civilization. A concluding chapter draws lessons from the Cold War decades, showing how they apply to dealing with nation-states and terrorist groups today.

Norman A. Graebner, PhD, is Randolph P. Compton Professor of History and Public Affairs, emeritus, at the University of Virginia, and an internationally acknowledged authority on U.S. international affairs.

Richard Dean Burns is professor emeritus of history at California State University, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA.

Joseph M. Siracusa is professor of human security and international diplomacy at the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne, Australia, where he is a specialist in diplomacy and nuclear security.