Abstract

In studying foreign policy a distinction is often made between what a country’s stated position is and what it actually does. No matter which of these approaches is adopted, political commentators most often answer the question “What is American foreign policy?” by turning their attention to the occupant of the White House. In the first instance, this presidential focus is found in historic declarations such as the Monroe and Reagan doctrines. Second, the same focus is reflected in terms such as Iraq being “Bush’s war.”