Polarization and US Foreign Policy When Politics Crosses the Water’s Edge

Polarization in the United States has been on the rise for several decades. In this context, few observers expect politics today to stop “at the water’s edge,” as the old cliché goes. But key questions about the relationship between polarization and US foreign policy remain to be fully answered. To what extent are American ideas about foreign policy now polarized along partisan lines? How is polarization changing the foreign policy behavior of the US Congress and President? And how is polarization altering the effectiveness of US foreign policy and influencing America’s role in the world? This edited volume explores these questions and more, bringing together existing knowledge as well as considering how the political dynamics and execution of US foreign policy may evolve in the years ahead.

Chapter 1. Introduction: Polarization and America’s Role in the World”.- 2. Chapter 2. Are We Drowning at the Water’s Edge? Foreign Policy Polarization among the US Public.- Chapter 3. Finding the Water’s Edge: When Negative Partisanship Influences Foreign Policy Attitudes.- Chapter 4. Beyond Party: Ideological Convictions and Foreign Policy Conflicts in the US Congress.- Chapter 5. Foreign Policy Free Agents: How Lawmakers and Coalitions on the Political Margins Help Set Boundaries for U.S. Foreign Policy.- Chapter 6. Bryan W. Marshall and Patrick J. Haney, “Support and Defend? Executive Ascendancy and Congressional Abdication in US Foreign Policy.- Chapter 7. James Bryan and Jordan Tama, “The Prevalence of Bipartisanship in U.S. Foreign Policy: An Analysis of Important Congressional Votes.- Chapter 8. Congressional Polarization and Limitation Riders in Foreign Aid Appropriations.- Chapter 9. Social Fabric Decay: The Case of Congressional Travels Abroad. Chapter 10. Brakeman or Booster? Presidents, Ideological Polarization, Reciprocity and the Politics of US Arms Control Policy.- Chapter 11. Polarized We Trade? Intra-Party Polarization and U.S. Trade Policy.- Chapter 12. Polarization, Casualty Sensitivity, and Military Operations: Evidence from a Survey Experiment.- Chapter 13. The Reputational Consequences of Polarization for American Foreign Policy: Evidence from the US-UK Bilateral Relationship.- Chapter 14. Looking Ahead: Prospects for Effective Foreign Policy and Avenues for Further Research.

Gordon M. Friedrichs is a Senior Research Fellow at the Max Planck Institute for Comparative Public Law and International Law in Heidelberg, Germany. 

Jordan Tama is Provost Associate Professor in the Department of Foreign Policy and Global Security at American University in Washington DC, USA.