51). As the events of the early 20th century unfolded, it was becoming increasingly clear that America's destiny was writ large and included expansive involvement with the international community. In this regard, Legro writes, "Rigid adherence to tradition & #8230; met with disappointing results setting up a 'Do Something!' dynamic that undermined the no-entanglement position" (p. 50). These shifts were attributable as well to changes in the general public's views about issues abroad, galvanized as they were by Pearl Harbor. Here, there appears to be a source of change to foreign policy because "the United States had an aversion to institutionalized involvement in great power affairs before World War II and yet embraced such commitments after World War II" (p. 52). This commitment included the kinds of military involvement that would shape American foreign policy throughout the second half of the 20th century. According to Legro, "Internationalism implied a basic integrationist orientation -- a dominant belief...

52). Interestingly, despite the ebbs and flows in the level of international engagement, the fact remained that the U.S. was "actively involved in economic and security matters" (p. 51).
When societal actors fail to reach an agreement concerning the adequacy of existing ideas, social coordination termed consolidation is needed to fill the gap with new and relevant ideas. According to Legro, the build-up to World War II was matched by a growing consensus on the part of Americans that Germany was intentionally rearming for territorial acquisition purposes and the failure of the United States to join the League of Nations only encouraged such foreign policy approaches on the part of foreign governments. By the latter half of the 20th century, there were changes being made in American foreign policy as a result of the United States' involvement in Vietnam, but Legro emphasizes these changes were not on the level as those that took place during World War II. Moreover, even America's involvement in this misguided war was not regarded by most Americans as a reason for the country to further disengage in the international community, only that it was time to establish some boundaries where the nation's should commit it treasure and blood.

Works Cited

Legro, Jeffrey W. Rethinking the World: Great Power Strategies and…