Lynne Rienner Making China Policy: From Nixon to G.W. Bush

What explains the twists and turns in U.S.-China relations since Richard Nixon initiated a policy of engagement in the early 1970s? Addressing this question, Jean Garrison examines the politics behind U.S. China policy across six administrations - from Nixon to George W. Bush. Garrison finds that a focus on the internal decisionmaking process is key to understanding both continuity and change in more than three decades of U.S.-China relations. Incorporating interactions at the levels of strategic context, presidential beliefs and leadership style, and bureaucratic politics, she constructs a comprehensive explanation of how China policy was formed in each administration. Her thorough - and engaging - account sheds new light on U.S. foreign policy making in general, as well as on Washington's China policy. Synopsis What explains the twists and turns in U.S.-China relations since Richard Nixon initiated a policy of engagement in the early 1970s? Addressing this question, Jean Garrison examines the politics behind U.S. China policy across six administrations - from Nixon to George W. Bush. Garrison finds that a focus on the internal decisionmaking process is key to understanding both continuity and change in more than three decades of U.S.-China relations. Incorporating interactions at the levels of strategic context, presidential beliefs and leadership style, and bureaucratic politics, she constructs a comprehensive explanation of how China policy was formed in each administration. Her thorough - and engaging - account sheds new light on U.S. foreign policy making in general, as well as on Washington's China policy. About the Author Jean Garrison is associate professor of political science at the University of Wyoming. She is author of Games Advisors Play: Foreign Policy in the Nixon and Carter Administrations.