'Zanchetta's stimulating account of American foreign policy in the 1970s shows how a feeling of US decline strengthened interest in arms control with the Soviet Union, but also blended with active measures to shore up the US position, as witnessed most clearly in the opening to China. What, however, tended to be overlooked in Washington was a local reality of ... Read moreincreasing complexity, as seen in Vietnam and in Iran.' Geir Lundestad, Director, Norwegian Nobel Institute (1990–2014) and Emeritus Professor of international History, University of Oslo 'At a time of great debate over the limits of American power, Barbara Zanchetta provides an incisive analysis of the last time the United States was engaged in such a conversation - the 1970s. Her remarkable ability to weave a compelling narrative of American leadership at a time of transition across three administrations is a welcome addition to our understanding of a critical period in US foreign policy.' James Goldgeier, American University 'In an era when many US politicians feel obliged to pay homage to 'American exceptionalism', Barbara Zanchetta's fine study raises important questions about the degree to which [the] United States has acted like other traditional great powers. This book is a major contribution to the literature on the vicissitudes of detente during the 1970s and 80s.' William Burr, Senior Analyst, National Security Archive, George Washington University 'Zanchetta's book is an important contribution to [the] ongoing debate about the purposes and use of American power in the world.' Thomas A. Schwartz, H-Diplo Roundtable Review Show Less