In this introductory textbook, Hook (Kent State U.) and Spanier (U. of Florida) focus on the conduct of American foreign policy, rather than its formulation. The chronological narrative runs from the adoption of the containment doctrine in the opening years of the Cold War through the US wars in Afghanistan and Iraq and confrontations of North Korean and Iranian nuclear programs. The most significant theme running through the discussion is the tension between American pursuit of hegemony and the limitations of the international legal order, limitations the George W. Bush regime is seeking to throw off at the possible cost of political legitimacy. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)