President Bill Clinton and US transatlantic foreign policy

• Published in: Journal of transatlantic studies Vol. 8; no. 3; pp. 268 - 278
• Main Author: Dumbrell, John
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Cham Taylor & Francis Group 01.09.2010; Springer International Publishing; Palgrave Macmillan
• Subjects: American foreign relations; Bosnia; Bosnia and Herzegovina; Clinton, Bill; Europe; Foreign policy; Global and Transnational History; Heads of state; International Relations; International Security Studies; Kosovo; Leadership; NATO; Northern Ireland; Policy analysis; Political conditions; Political History; Political Science and International Relations; Political Science and International Studies; Post-Cold War; President Clinton; Transatlantic relations; U.S.A; United Kingdom; World History; United States > US; Bosnia; NATO; American foreign relations; Kosovo; Northern Ireland; President Clinton
• ISSN: 1479-4012; 1754-1018
• DOI: 10.1080/14794012.2010.498128

Bill Clinton is frequently seen as a president whose foreign policy lacked direction, focus, and a sense of purpose. Examination of his foreign policy leadership in relation to US transatlantic relations does not bear out such a negative verdict. Clinton's policy in the Balkans was very confused and fairly directionless before 1995, but achieved positive results subsequently. The Clinton administration's Irish interventions were unprecedented and extraordinarily successful. Similarly, in regard to his commitment to the expansion of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, Clinton enjoyed a degree of success that appeared very unlikely at the start of his presidency. Despite predictions to the contrary, Transatlantica remained central to the concerns of Clinton's post-Cold War presidency.