Israel's Armor analyzes the 'special relationship' between the United States and Israel. It fills a gap in the literature by providing a foundational history of the Israel lobby and its influence on American foreign policy in the first generation of the Palestine conflict.

The United States and Israel have long had a 'special relationship'. The US became the first country in the world to recognize the state of Israel in 1948, and has been an important ally and benefactor ever since. A critical component of the special relationship is the pro-Israel lobby. Although the lobby has been a controversial topic in public affairs, it has been widely understudied. Israel's Armor fills a gap in the existing literature by examining the origins and early history of the Israel lobby, looking at its influence on American foreign policy, and weaving its activities into the...

South Vietnamese activists, intellectuals, students, and professionals had multiple visions for Vietnam's future as an independent nation. In expressing their views in the press and in public demonstrations, they performed democracy even as the Saigon government and US intervention stymied the development of democratic institutions.

Towards the end of the Cold War, the last great struggle between the United States and the Soviet Union marked the end of détente, and escalated into the most dangerous phase of the conflict since the Cuban Missile Crisis. Aaron Donaghy examines the complex history of America's largest peacetime military buildup, which was in turn challenged by the largest peacetime peace movement. Focusing on the critical period between 1977 and 1985, Donaghy shows how domestic politics shaped dramatic foreign policy reversals by Presidents Jimmy Carter and Ronald Reagan. He explains why the Cold War...