This course focuses on American foreign policy from the late 1930's to the present. After considering U.S. policy immediately before and during World War II, the course explores how the United States responded to the global challenge posed by the Soviet Union and international communism during the long struggle known as the Cold War. The factors that led to the Cold War, the nuclear arms race, America's involvement in Vietnam, and, ultimately, the collapse of the Soviet Union and the end of the Cold War are examined. The course concludes by analyzing challenges to American national interests and security in the early decades of the 21st century.