Foreign Influence

Foreign Influence
Author: Brad Thor
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 560
Release: 2011-05-24
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1416586601

Homeland Security operative Scot Harvath is called to action once again in this pulse-pounding political thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor. Navy SEAL turned covert operative Scot Harvath is called to action in Brad Thor's red-hot thriller--a "must read for our times" (James Rollins). Buried within the black ops budgets of the Department of Defense, a newly created spy agency reports only to a secret panel of military insiders. Its job is to target America's enemies--both foreign and domestic--under a charter of three simple words: Find, Fix, and Finish. When a bombing in Rome kills a group of American college students, the evidence points to a dangerous colleague from Harvath's past. Tasked with leveraging this relationship to lure the man out of hiding, Harvath must destroy him. But what if it is the wrong man? In Chicago, a young woman is struck by a taxi in a hit-and-run, and the family's attorney uncovers a shocking connection to the Rome bombing. Harvath must link together the disparate violence and race to prevent one of the most audacious and unthinkable acts of war in the history of mankind.

Foreign Policy Begins at Home

Foreign Policy Begins at Home
Author: Richard N Haass
Publisher: Basic Books
Total Pages: 225
Release: 2014-04-08
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0465038646

"A concise, comprehensive guide to America's critical policy choices at home and overseas . . . without a partisan agenda, but with a passion for solutions designed to restore our country's strength and enable us to lead." -- Madeleine K. Albright A rising China, climate change, terrorism, a nuclear Iran, a turbulent Middle East, and a reckless North Korea all present serious challenges to America's national security. But it depends even more on the United States addressing its burgeoning deficit and debt, crumbling infrastructure, second class schools, and outdated immigration system. While there is currently no great rival power threatening America directly, how long this strategic respite lasts, according to Council on Foreign Relations President Richard N. Haass, will depend largely on whether the United States puts its own house in order. Haass lays out a compelling vision for restoring America's power, influence, and ability to lead the world and advocates for a new foreign policy of Restoration that would require the US to limit its involvement in both wars of choice, and humanitarian interventions. Offering essential insight into our world of continual unrest, this new edition addresses the major foreign and domestic debates since hardcover publication, including US intervention in Syria, the balance between individual privacy and collective security, and the continuing impact of the sequester.

Political Influence Operations

Political Influence Operations
Author: Darren E. Tromblay
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 270
Release: 2018-03-05
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 153810332X

Russian interference with the 2016 U.S. elections brought the problem of foreign influence on American politics into sharp relief. However, externally-sponsored subversion of U.S. decision making has been a shadowy threat to American policy for the better part of a century. Political Influence Operations provides an incisive examination of how external actors have infiltrated American society—from lobbyists, to academia, to the media—in order to further their own objectives. Tromblay draws upon historical examples to demonstrate how U.S. adversaries – and sometimes its ostensible allies – have used the openness of American society against the country’s best interests. By identifying vulnerabilities and exposing the underlying dynamics of foreign influence, the book provides a roadmap for U.S. governmental and private sector entities to navigate the currents of international engagement.

The Influence of Faith

The Influence of Faith
Author: Elliott Abrams
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers
Total Pages: 248
Release: 2002-05-30
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0585381658

Realists have long argued that the international system must be based on hard calculations of power and interest. But in recent years, religion's role on the international scene has grown. The Influence of Faith examines religion as a growing factor in world politics and U.S. foreign policy. Particular attention is placed on the American reaction to the persecution of Christians and Jews overseas, as well as the role of faith-based groups such as missionary and relief organizations in the formulation and implementation of U.S. policy. The Influence of Faith considers these timely issues from diverse points of view, offering broad historical analysis as well as concrete examples taken from current affairs.

Activating China

Activating China
Author: Setsuko Matsuzawa
Publisher: Routledge
Total Pages: 170
Release: 2019-01-04
Genre: Social Science
ISBN: 1351118447

This book examines the effects of the transnational social and environmental advocacy of foreign NGOs in China. Based on three case studies, including China’s first participatory development project, its first successful case of transnational anti-dam activism, and its first national park project, the book challenges our typical understanding that global forces shape local outcomes. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork in China and archival work in the United States, Matsuzawa sheds light on the entrepreneurial behaviors of Chinese activists, researchers, and government officials. She shows that global projects are often substantially transformed by local actors, despite the original intentions of their foreign collaborators and even China’s central government. Thus, it is argued that foreign NGOs are not as hegemonic or culturally imperialistic as is commonly viewed. Matsuzawa reveals that their goals may change profoundly as a result of their engagements with local actors on the ground. She offers a new theory of transnational advocacy together with an account of the Chinese party-state’s rising concerns over the influence of foreign NGOs. Activating China will be of interest to sociologists and political scientists working in the fields of social movement studies and activism in China.

The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy

The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy
Author: John J. Mearsheimer
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Total Pages: 651
Release: 2007-09-04
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1429932821

Originally published in 2007, The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy, by John Mearsheimer of the University of Chicago and Stephen M. Walt of Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, provoked both howls of outrage and cheers of gratitude for challenging what had been a taboo issue in America: the impact of the Israel lobby on U.S. foreign policy. A work of major importance, it remains as relevant today as it was in the immediate aftermath of the Israel-Lebanon war of 2006. Mearsheimer and Walt describe in clear and bold terms the remarkable level of material and diplomatic support that the United States provides to Israel and argues that this support cannot be fully explained on either strategic or moral grounds. This exceptional relationship is due largely to the political influence of a loose coalition of individuals and organizations that actively work to shape U.S. foreign policy in a pro-Israel direction. They provocatively contend that the lobby has a far-reaching impact on America's posture throughout the Middle East―in Iraq, Iran, Lebanon, and toward the Israeli-Palestinian conflict―and the policies it has encouraged are in neither America's national interest nor Israel's long-term interest. The lobby's influence also affects America's relationship with important allies and increases dangers that all states face from global jihadist terror. The publication of The Israel Lobby and U.S. Foreign Policy led to a sea change in how the U.S-Israel relationship was discussed, and continues to be one of the most talked-about books in foreign policy.

The Brussels Effect

The Brussels Effect
Author: Anu Bradford
Publisher: Oxford University Press
Total Pages: 425
Release: 2020-01-27
Genre: Law
ISBN: 0190088591

For many observers, the European Union is mired in a deep crisis. Between sluggish growth; political turmoil following a decade of austerity politics; Brexit; and the rise of Asian influence, the EU is seen as a declining power on the world stage. Columbia Law professor Anu Bradford argues the opposite in her important new book The Brussels Effect: the EU remains an influential superpower that shapes the world in its image. By promulgating regulations that shape the international business environment, elevating standards worldwide, and leading to a notable Europeanization of many important aspects of global commerce, the EU has managed to shape policy in areas such as data privacy, consumer health and safety, environmental protection, antitrust, and online hate speech. And in contrast to how superpowers wield their global influence, the Brussels Effect - a phrase first coined by Bradford in 2012- absolves the EU from playing a direct role in imposing standards, as market forces alone are often sufficient as multinational companies voluntarily extend the EU rule to govern their global operations. The Brussels Effect shows how the EU has acquired such power, why multinational companies use EU standards as global standards, and why the EU's role as the world's regulator is likely to outlive its gradual economic decline, extending the EU's influence long into the future.

Influence from Abroad

Influence from Abroad
Author: Danny Hayes
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Total Pages: 201
Release: 2013-04-22
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 1107355591

In Influence from Abroad, Danny Hayes and Matt Guardino show that United States public opinion about American foreign policy can be shaped by foreign leaders and representatives of international organizations. By studying news coverage, elite debate, and public opinion prior to the Iraq War, the authors demonstrate that US media outlets aired and published a significant amount of opposition to the invasion from official sources abroad, including British, French, and United Nations representatives. In turn, these foreign voices - to which millions of Americans were exposed - drove many Democrats and independents to signal opposition to the war, even as domestic elites supported it. Contrary to conventional wisdom that Americans care little about the views of foreigners, this book shows that international officials can alter domestic public opinion, but only when the media deem them newsworthy. Their conclusions raise significant questions about the democratic quality of United States foreign policy debates.

Full Black

Full Black
Author: Brad Thor
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Total Pages: 496
Release: 2012-05-22
Genre: Fiction
ISBN: 1416586628

#1 New York Times bestselling author Brad Thor delivers his darkest and most intriguing thriller yet--a terrifying story of espionage and betrayal--brilliantly paced with superb nonstop action. Born in the shadows and kept from heads of state, some missions are so deadly, so sensitive, that they simply don't exist. When one such mission goes horribly wrong, only former Navy SEAL Team 6 member turned covert counterterrorism operative Scot Harvath can carry out an audacious plan to prevent one of the biggest terrorist threats the United States has ever faced: complete and total collapse. But as the identities of the perpetrators are laid stunningly bare, Harvath will be left with only one means to save America. Unable to trust anyone, he will be forced to go FULL BLACK.

Bureaucratic Politics and Foreign Policy

Bureaucratic Politics and Foreign Policy
Author: Morton H. Halperin
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
Total Pages: 416
Release: 2007-02-01
Genre: Political Science
ISBN: 0815734107

The first edition of Bureaucratic Politics and Foreign Policy is one of the most successful Brookings titles of all time. This thoroughly revised version updates that classic analysis of the role played by the federal bureaucracy—civilian career officials, political appointees, and military officers—and Congress in formulating U.S. national security policy, illustrating how policy decisions are actually made. Government agencies, departments, and individuals all have certain interests to preserve and promote. Those priorities, and the conflicts they sometimes spark, heavily influence the formulation and implementation of foreign policy. A decision that looks like an orchestrated attempt to influence another country may in fact represent a shaky compromise between rival elements within the U.S. government. The authors provide numerous examples of bureaucratic maneuvering and reveal how they have influenced our international relations. The revised edition includes new examples of bureaucratic politics from the past three decades, from Jimmy Carter's view of the State Department to conflicts between George W. Bush and the bureaucracy regarding Iraq. The second edition also includes a new analysis of Congress's role in the politics of foreign policymaking.