But before delving deeper into the contrasts inherent in the American foreign policy literature, let us first define foreign policy. Just what is foreign policy? Interestingly, while an appropriate starting point, this question is not asked very often in the literature for several reasons. For example, when studying a particular case such as the U.S. decision to invade Iraq, the focus of attention is on one situation and its accompanying decision-making process. Both reader and analyst know what is being studied; there is no need to define foreign policy. Moreover, say the analyst wants to explore U.S. use of force, attention is directed to considering what is counted as a use of force. Does sending in military advisers or threatening to bomb constitute a use of force or must there be troop movements on the ground in enemy territory to count? Once again, there is little need to define what foreign policy is, we know what we are trying to explain. However, what if we want to understand how the foreign policies of two or more administrations are similar or difference from one another; or we want to compare U.S. foreign policy in response to crises such as 9/11, the attack on Pearl Harbor, the Iranian hostage crisis, and the downing of the U.S. plane on China’s Hainan Island; or we want to contrast American foreign policy during and after the Cold War? For such comparisons we need to consider what we mean by “foreign policy”.