Why American Foreign Policy Fails

This book explores the recent changes in U.S. foreign policy, examines the roles that the six primary actors (the President, the Congress, the bureaucracy, non-governmental organizations, the media and the public) play in policy decisions, and assesses the potential for improvement within this system.

"Ambassador Jett's assessment of the systemic problems that impact American foreign policy is compelling and cogently argued. His conclusions and recommendations should be required reading for political leaders and foreign policy professionals." - Ambassador Joseph Wilson and author of "The Politics of Truth"

"At a time when pundits guess at truth from a distance, and reporters fly low and move on, Dennis Jett offers an insider's wisdom tempered over time. His calmly reasoned outrage is exactly what America needs to steer itself back toward greatness." - Mort Rosenblum, author of Escaping Plato's Cave

"Why American Foreign Policy Fails is a bracing read. Government officials, academics, and think tank experts are all subject to acerbic analysis. But the overall message is simple: American foreign policy has become completely captive to American domestic politics, without regard for either the national interest or majority public opinion. Although many readers will find things to disagree with in this book, it is hard to avoid theforce of Ambassador Jett's argument or the imperative to do something about it." - Anne-Marie Slaughter, Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs,Princeton University.

"An erudite and insightful examination of why American foreign policy is as it is. The author examines the forces that shape American foreign policy and especially how it is informed by the disparate and frequently conflicting interests of various domestic constituencies." - Stephen Bosworth, Dean of the Fletcher School, Tufts University and former US Ambassador to Korea, Philippines and Tunisia

DENNIS C. JETT is Dean of the International Center, Florida International University, USA.