Wreath Layer or Policy Player?: The Vice President's Role in Foreign Affairs

by Paul Kengor

Book Overview

Since World War II, American vice presidents have played an ever-increasing role in the nation's foreign policy. This study of the foreign-policy activities of five key vice presidents-Richard Nixon, Walter Mondale, George Bush, Dan Quayle, and Al Gore-provides the first comprehensive analysis of the role of the vice president in foreign-policy affairs. In order to bring readers to a better understanding of this role, Paul Kengor asks incisive questions: Did the vice presidents' involvement in foreign policy actually benefit the administration? If so, what useful lessons can be drawn from their experiences? Is there good reason to approve or reject an enhanced role in foreign policy for future vice presidents? How, specifically, might the vice president be used in conducting the nation's international affairs? The answers to these questions are crucial reading for scholars of the presidency and foreign policy, for policy makers, and for all of us assessing vice presidents past and future.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0739102184
• ISBN13: 9780739102183
• Release Date: September 2000
• Publisher: Globe Pequot Publishing Group Inc/Bloomsbury
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 1.01 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.9" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Excellent book on a understudied topic

This is a truly impressive work. It is comparatively short, but packed with information. Kengor looks at 5 vice-presidents(Nixon, Mondale, Bush, Quayle, and Gore) and how they made an impact in foreign policy. It can be a bit dry at times, but it is structured very nicely and reads well for the most part. If you are interested in the impact a vice-president can have on foreign policy, read this!