The Color of Empire

Nonfiction, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book The Color of Empire by Michael L Krenn, Potomac Books Inc.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Michael L Krenn ISBN: 9781597974738
Publisher: Potomac Books Inc. Publication: November 30, 2006
Imprint: Potomac Books Inc. Language: English
Author: Michael L Krenn
ISBN: 9781597974738
Publisher: Potomac Books Inc.
Publication: November 30, 2006
Imprint: Potomac Books Inc.
Language: English
At first glance, it may be difficult to accept that race and racism play a major role, whether conscious or subconscious, in policymaking. But leaders are products of their upbringing and era, and even some of America's best-educated presidents and secretaries of state have been slave owners, segregationists, or bigots. Some belong to America's distant past, but it was not so long ago that the civil rights movement began to correct America's troubled race relations.

While race has rarely served as the primary motivating factor in America's foreign policies, Michael Krenn shows that it has functioned as both a powerful justification for U.S. actions abroad and a significant influence on their shape, direction, and intensity. Portraying nonwhite races as inferior allowed U.S. policymakers to rationalize territorial expansion at the expense of Native Americans and Mexico, to demonize the enemy in wars fought against Filipino insurgents and Japanese soldiers, and to justify intervention in developing nations. Racism made America's leaders soft on European colonialism, and U.S. racial segregation laws were an obstacle to winning hearts and minds in the developing world during the Cold War. Race plays a more subtle role in U.S. foreign relations today, but speeches about turning the war on terror into a crusade, the abuse of detainees in military prisons, and apathy toward genocide in Darfur can be explained, in part, by prejudice.

The Color of Empire challenges readers to recognize that American perceptions and prejudices about race have influenced the conduct of U.S. foreign relations from the colonial era to the present. This concise survey is an excellent introduction to the topic for both students and general readers.
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
At first glance, it may be difficult to accept that race and racism play a major role, whether conscious or subconscious, in policymaking. But leaders are products of their upbringing and era, and even some of America's best-educated presidents and secretaries of state have been slave owners, segregationists, or bigots. Some belong to America's distant past, but it was not so long ago that the civil rights movement began to correct America's troubled race relations.

While race has rarely served as the primary motivating factor in America's foreign policies, Michael Krenn shows that it has functioned as both a powerful justification for U.S. actions abroad and a significant influence on their shape, direction, and intensity. Portraying nonwhite races as inferior allowed U.S. policymakers to rationalize territorial expansion at the expense of Native Americans and Mexico, to demonize the enemy in wars fought against Filipino insurgents and Japanese soldiers, and to justify intervention in developing nations. Racism made America's leaders soft on European colonialism, and U.S. racial segregation laws were an obstacle to winning hearts and minds in the developing world during the Cold War. Race plays a more subtle role in U.S. foreign relations today, but speeches about turning the war on terror into a crusade, the abuse of detainees in military prisons, and apathy toward genocide in Darfur can be explained, in part, by prejudice.

The Color of Empire challenges readers to recognize that American perceptions and prejudices about race have influenced the conduct of U.S. foreign relations from the colonial era to the present. This concise survey is an excellent introduction to the topic for both students and general readers.

More books from Potomac Books Inc.

Cover of the book Basketball on Paper by Michael L Krenn
Cover of the book The Mythology of American Politics by Michael L Krenn
Cover of the book Mixed Martial Arts' Most Wanted™: The Top 10 Book of Crazy Combat, Great Grappling, and Sick Submissions by Michael L Krenn
Cover of the book Sand in the Gears by Michael L Krenn
Cover of the book Crisis and Crossfire by Michael L Krenn
Cover of the book The Final Hours by Michael L Krenn
Cover of the book Thutmose III: The Military Biography of Egypt's Greatest Warrior King by Michael L Krenn
Cover of the book Nerve Center by Michael L Krenn
Cover of the book Sunk in Kula Gulf: The Final Voyage of the USS Helena and the Incredible Story of Her Survivors in World War II by Michael L Krenn
Cover of the book The Year That Changed the Game: The Memorable Months That Shaped Pro Football by Michael L Krenn
Cover of the book Basketball Championships' Most Wanted™ by Michael L Krenn
Cover of the book Gone at 3:17 by Michael L Krenn
Cover of the book Hemingway on the China Front by Michael L Krenn
Cover of the book Iran's Revolutionary Guard: The Threat That Grows While America Sleeps by Michael L Krenn
Cover of the book Hindenburg by Michael L Krenn
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy