Recounting the actors and events of U.S. foreign policy, former Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick identifies some of the threads running through the nation's encounters with the world: defending the preeminence of North America; the building of alliances; the need for public support; and the belief that American diplomacy should serve a larger purpose. Offering anecdotes and analysis, Zoellick traces these ideas in the policies of Alexander Hamilton, Theodore Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, Henry Kissinger, George H.W. Bush, and others, while offering guideposts for the future.