ABSTRACT
As the editors assert at the end of the Preface, their hope is that the contents of this volume will contribute “clarity and focus” to what they regard as an “essential debate.” They chose Fareed Zakaria's The Post-American World as their theme-setter not because they necessarily agree with all of his conclusions and want to see them further propagated, but because they believe that the transitions in international politics that underlie his analysis are so important as to warrant careful evaluation and debate. Those who need exposure to such assessments include not only interested university students, academics, and both the makers and watchdogs of foreign policy in the United States, but also foreign policy communities and their politically attentive publics around the globe.
