By analysing significant diplomatic and military decisions of the Johnson, Nixon, Reagan, and Clinton administrations, and offering an account of national security entrepreneurship under the recent presidents, this book argues for an agent-based explanation of foreign policy change and continuity.

Cover -- National Security Entrepreneurs and the Making of American Foreign Policy -- Title -- Copyright -- Contents -- Tables and Figures -- Abbreviations -- Introduction - The Origins and Significance of National Security Council Entrepreneurs -- 1 NSC Entrepreneurship: A Framework of Analysis -- 2 Against the Americanization of the Vietnam War: George W. Ball's Battle for LBJ's Heart and Mind, 1964-65 -- 3 An Offbeat Entrepreneur: Gerard C. Smith and the SALT -- 4 An Ill-Fated Success: Robert McFarlane and the "Iranian Initiative," 1981-85 -- 5 The Beginning of the Endgame: Anthony Lake and the Reorientation of Clinton's Bosnia Policy, 1994-95 -- 6 The Successors: Entrepreneurship in the Era of George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Donald J. Trump -- Conclusion - Explaining the Success and Failure of NSC Entrepreneurship: Findings and Perspectives for Future Research -- Appendix -- Notes -- Bibliography -- Index.