Book Introduction: U.S. Foreign Policy: A Neorealist Approach and the Case of Vietnam Since Normalization

At present, U.S. foreign policy continues to attract significant attention on the international political stage for many reasons. Although numerous studies have examined the factors influencing U.S. foreign policy, theoretical research has yet to demonstrate clear distinctions in approaches, methodologies, or explanations of policy in practice. The monograph U.S. Foreign Policy: A Neorealist Approach and the Case of Vietnam Since Normalization, written by Dr. Lê Đình Tĩnh of the Institute for Strategic Studies, Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, offers a neorealist perspective on U.S. foreign policy in the post–Cold War era. The book analyzes, applies, and compares neorealist theory with concrete expressions of U.S. foreign policy, with particular emphasis on the case of Vietnam since the normalization of relations. Many of the book’s insights and analyses are grounded in interviews conducted by the author with prominent domestic and international scholars, including Prof. John Mearsheimer (University of Chicago), Prof. Brantly Womack (University of Virginia), Prof. Nguyễn Mạnh Hùng (George Mason University), Prof. Ted Widmer (Brown University), researchers Mark Manyin (U.S. Congressional Research Service) and Joshua Kurlanzick (Council on Foreign Relations), Dr. Richard Cronin (Stimson Center), Dr. Alexander Vuving (Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies), along with several diplomats. In addition, the meticulously compiled Chronology section summarizes and records key milestones from 25 years of normalized and developing relations (1995–2020), providing rich and useful information for readers interested in the Vietnam–U.S. Comprehensive Partnership. This book is a highly valuable resource for researchers, lecturers, and students specializing in Foreign Policy Analysis and International Relations. For access, readers may contact the Library of the Diplomatic Academy of Vietnam, 69 Chua Lang Street, Dong Da District, Hanoi.