America's Mission argues that the global strength and prestige of
democracy today are due in large part to America's impact on
international affairs. Tony Smith documents the extraordinary history of
how American foreign policy has been used to try to promote democracy
worldwide, an effort that enjoyed its greatest triumphs in the
occupations of Japan and Germany but suffered huge setbacks in Latin
America, Vietnam, and elsewhere. With new chapters and a new
introduction and epilogue, this expanded edition also traces U.S.
attempts to spread democracy more recently, under presidents Clinton,
Bush, and Obama, and assesses America's role in the Arab Spring.