michael cox - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by michael cox

American Political Science Review, 1998

LSEPress, 2022

This is one of the first attempts by a group of experts from a range of disciplines to explain th... more This is one of the first attempts by a group of experts from a range of disciplines to explain the background to the current crisis in Afghanistan and what the future holds there in 2023.

US Foreign Policy, 2017

This edition provides an account of contemporary U.S. foreign policy. There are at least five bro... more This edition provides an account of contemporary U.S. foreign policy. There are at least five broad themes that inform the text. The first is the importance of the past for understanding the present. The second concerns the complex relationship between foreign policy and America’s longer-term goals and interests. Policy makers have assumed that the international order that would best advance American interests would be composed primarily of democratic states, open markets, and self-determining nations. The third theme is the importance of the ‘domestic’ in shaping U.S. foreign policy choices, including factors such as interest groups, the role of institutions, and the power of ideas. The fourth theme relates to the issue of perspective or ‘balance’, and the fifth and final theme refers to the fact that whatever one might think of the United States past, present, or future, it is simply too important to be ignored.

Journal of Cold War Studies, 2005

Two British scholars reassess what they view as the decisive episode in the early Cold War, the M... more Two British scholars reassess what they view as the decisive episode in the early Cold War, the Marshall Plan. Far from seeing the Plan as a mere act of generosity by the United States, they argue that it was an integral part of an increasingly aggressive U.S. posture toward the Soviet Union. The Soviet Union was still seeking a cooperative relationship with the United States, but the U.S. decision to establish a European Recovery Program (ERP) without a sincere intention of including the Soviet Union posed a threat to Soviet security interests. Josif Stalin wanted to prevent the United States from luring the East European countries away from the Soviet Union's sphere of influence and into the Western sphere. Although Stalin was reluctant to abandon his bid for close cooperation with the West, the Marshall Plan left him with little choice. As the ERP progressed, Stalin drastically tightened his hold over Eastern Europe and imposed Soviet-style systems on the countries in the reg...

European Journal of International Relations, 2005

One of the least expected but most significant events of recent years is that which led to a prof... more One of the least expected but most significant events of recent years is that which led to a profound crisis in the transatlantic relationship. The argument advanced here is that the split between a number of European states and the United States of America not only casts doubt on the idea of the ‘West’ but also brings into question various liberal theories of international politics that suggest that the two regions are so bound together by ideology, interest and institutions that a serious disagreement between them was, and presumably remains, unlikely. This it is suggested both fails to explain the original rift and underestimates the very profound differences that continue to divide the US and Europe. A more complex and abrasive kind of relationship is in the making. Unfortunately, those who have thus far tended to shape the debate about the transatlantic relationship in general, and indeed the extent of US hegemony in particular, either seem historically unable or theoretically ...

Political Studies Review, 2007

Over the past few years there has been an intellectually controversial, strategically significant... more Over the past few years there has been an intellectually controversial, strategically significant and politically charged debate as to whether America should – or should not – be characterised as an empire. More recently, it has become equally fashionable to argue that this empire is either now failing or in steep decline. This essay examines the background to the original ‘empire debate', suggests that the notion of empire is one that can (with care) be applied to the United States, and that in spite of recent setbacks – like Iraq – we should take care not to underestimate the US capacity to shape world politics. The American Empire may be in trouble, but it is not about to fall.

International Affairs, 2007

* The arguments articulated in this article were fi rst aired at the Norwegian Nobel Institute Se... more * The arguments articulated in this article were fi rst aired at the Norwegian Nobel Institute Seminar, 12 April 2007. Thanks to Professor Geir Lundestad for having invited me to give the talk and for his useful comments. 1 For reasons why so few experts and policy-makers anticipated the communist collapse, see Michael Cox, Rethinking the Soviet collapse: Sovietology, the death of communism and the new Russia (London: Pinter, 1998). 2 For a useful guide to the new Reagan-a man whose 'mind', according to one of his biographers, 'had been serene almost throughout his life'-see the aptly titled review article by Russell Barker, 'Reconstructing

Review of International Studies, 1990

During his eight years in office Ronald Reagan attempted not only to dominate the US political sc... more During his eight years in office Ronald Reagan attempted not only to dominate the US political scene but to establish a clear neo-conservative agenda for the American nation. When he came to power he had two main objectives. The first was to roll back the hand of government, for as he put it, ‘the ills of a nation stem from a single source: the belief that government… has the answer to our ills’. The second was to rebuild America's position in the world after the so-called ‘decade of neglect.’ Naturally, Reagan delighted the new right with his attacks on liberalism at home and the Soviet Union abroad. However, one suspects he frightened an equal number by raising issues (like abortion) which many had long thought settled, while implying that the only solution to complex international questions was American firepower. And even though many American intellectuals may have despised the new President for his apparent simple-mindedness, his optimism about the American future and his h...