Hilde Eliassen Restad – författare

How does American exceptionalism shape American foreign policy? Conventional wisdom states that American exceptionalism comes in two variations – the exemplary version and the missionary version. Being exceptional, experts in U.S. foreign policy argue, means that you either withdraw from the world like an isolated but inspiring "city upon a hill," or that you are called upon to actively lead the rest of the world to a better future. In her book, Hilde Eliassen Restad challenges this assumption, arguing that U.S. history has displayed a remarkably constant foreign policy tradition, which she labels unilateral internationalism. The United States, Restad argues, has not vacillated between an "exemplary" and a "missionary" identity. Instead, the United States developed an exceptionalist identity that, while idealizing the United States as an exemplary "city upon a hill," more often than not errs on the side of the missionary crusade in its foreign policy. Utilizing the latest historiography in the study of U.S. foreign relations, the book updates political science scholarship and sheds new light on the role American exceptionalism has played – and continues to play – in shaping America’s role in the world.This work will be of great interest to students and scholars of US foreign policy, security studies, and American politics.

As the United States celebrates the 250-year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the ninth edition of the hugely successful American Civilization not only describes and explains what makes the United States a “civilization” but also examines the challenges to its cohesion and democratic progress. This edition introduces readers to the significant debates in U.S. society, culture, and politics, ensuring a nuanced understanding of the complexities of American civilization. Early chapters have been reconfigured to address the challenges of race and discrimination in American political development. The book has been fully updated to reflect developments in education and local government during the second Trump administration, a more critical approach to foreign policy which questions the concept of American exceptionalism, and an examination of the impact, in federal government terms, of the 2024 presidential campaign, election results, and the opening of Trump’s second term. New sections have been added to analyse efforts to control the Department of Justice, as well as developments in Medicaid policies and the results of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.Supported by exercises, discussion questions, and suggestions for further reading, watching, and listening at the end of each chapter, as well as a substantial chronology of key events in U.S. history, this textbook remains an indispensable resource for students of American Studies. With its updated content and critical approach, the ninth edition equips readers with the tools to analyse and engage with the ongoing American attempt at creating “a more perfect union.”

As the United States celebrates the 250-year anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1776, the ninth edition of the hugely successful American Civilization not only describes and explains what makes the United States a “civilization” but also examines the challenges to its cohesion and democratic progress. This edition introduces readers to the significant debates in U.S. society, culture, and politics, ensuring a nuanced understanding of the complexities of American civilization. Early chapters have been reconfigured to address the challenges of race and discrimination in American political development. The book has been fully updated to reflect developments in education and local government during the second Trump administration, a more critical approach to foreign policy which questions the concept of American exceptionalism, and an examination of the impact, in federal government terms, of the 2024 presidential campaign, election results, and the opening of Trump’s second term. New sections have been added to analyse efforts to control the Department of Justice, as well as developments in Medicaid policies and the results of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act.Supported by exercises, discussion questions, and suggestions for further reading, watching, and listening at the end of each chapter, as well as a substantial chronology of key events in U.S. history, this textbook remains an indispensable resource for students of American Studies. With its updated content and critical approach, the ninth edition equips readers with the tools to analyse and engage with the ongoing American attempt at creating “a more perfect union.”