ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

This book would have been impossible without the many friends, colleagues, and institutions that supported me along the way. Mentioned here are some that come to mind.

As an undergraduate at the University of Michigan, I was lucky to find good mentors early on. Tomoko Masuzawa took a chance on me as a freshman when I ended up in her graduate seminar on European intellectual history. William “Buzz” Alexander brought me down from the clouds through his Prison Creative Arts Project. Ronald Grigor Suny taught me the elements of my craft and giants of my field while supervising my senior thesis. In addition to recommending me for graduate study, Robert Franzese taught me methods in international relations and international political economy with great skill and patience.

At Boston College, I always found support in my PhD cohort: Allison Vander Broek, Joanna Kelly, and John Morton. Philipp Stelzel was a kind colleague and friend through tough times. Craig Gallagher and Janet Kay were always just a few doors down. James Cronin introduced me to the concept of contemporary history and showed me its value through his teaching, scholarship, and advising. Seth Jacobs refined my knowledge of US diplomatic history with care and wit. I especially gained from teaching for Sylvia Sellers-Garcia. Alan Rogers was a great squash partner, and I look forward to our next match.

I owe both thanks and apologies to many librarians and archivists. First among them is Anne Kenny at Boston College, who forgave so many Interlibrary Loan infractions and facilitated so much research. I also benefited from grants and assistance from many sources, including the Gerald Ford Presidential Library, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Library, Purdue University, University of Notre Dame, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, the World Bank, and the Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations. The Clough Center for Constitutional Democracy at Boston College was a dedicated and generous source of support. Thanks to Vlad Perju and the other graduate and law fellows, the Clough Center was also an intellectual home. At Boston College Law School, Frank Garcia was a generous reader and thoughtful interlocutor.

A postdoctoral fellowship in international security studies at Yale University gave me the space and support to revise the manuscript for this book. I benefited from a brilliant cohort of historians and political scientists whose advice improved the manuscript and whose friendship improved my life. They are Fritz Bartel, Jean-François Bélanger, Susan Colbourn, Matthias Frendem, Mayumi Fukushima, Louis Halewood, Michael Joseph, John Maurer, Brandon Merrell, Peter Slezkine, Emily Whalen, and Claire Yorke. Nuno Monteiro was an inspiring director, scholar, and friend to us all. His warmth and humor was unmatched, and he is sorely missed. Arne Westad, David Engerman, and Joanne Meyerowitz all provided valuable advice, feedback, and encouragement. Michael Brenes and Daniel Steinmetz-Jenkins became close friends and intellectual collaborators. Samuel Moyn joined the project in its early stages and convinced me that I was on to something. Sam’s professional and intellectual generosity has been unwavering, and I am grateful for his mentorship and friendship.

A second postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House allowed me to complete the book. Special thanks to Michael Horowitz, Michael Weisberg, and LaShawn Jefferson for making PWH such an inviting and intellectually exciting place to be. My talented cohort has been supportive through some especially challenging times. They are Shae Frydenlund, Meg K. Guliford, Richard J. McAlexander, Francesca Parente, Lauren Pinson, and Andrea Restrepo-Mieth. Koko Warner, Zeid Ra’ad al Hussein, Melissa Lee, and Jesse Keenan influenced my thinking in different ways. A number of other faculty at Penn and across Philadelphia gave me crucial feedback on revisions and much more, especially Robert Vitalis, Erin Graham, Julia Gray, Orfeo Fioretos, Artemy Kalinovsky, and Richard Immerman.

I owe Guy Erb, Gordon Streeb, and Henry Nau for providing me with an inside view of US State Department and National Security Council decision making in the 1970s and early 1980s via oral interviews. Other scholars who lent their time and insights to the project include Paul Adler, Roham Alvandi, Daniel Bessner, Vivian Chang, Cindy Ewing, Giuliano Garavini, Michael de Groot, Verena Kröss, Piers Ludlow, Mario del Pero, Kathleen Rasmussen, Christian Ruth, Shaine Scarminach, Giles Scott-Smith, Debbie Sharnak, and Rasmus Sondergaard.

Daniel Sargent and Quinn Slobodian were ideal readers for the manuscript, and their thoughtful and comprehensive reports were essential for revisions. At Cornell University Press, I had a dedicated editorial team in Michael McGandy, who brought the manuscript to peer review, and Sarah Grossman and Ellen Labate, who carried it over the line and into print. I am also grateful to Michelle Witkowski, whose careful edits improved the final text, and Dina Dineva, who crafted the index with great thought and skill.

Parts of chapters 5 and 6 were published in an article for Cold War History (2018). Parts of chapter 3 were published in Diplomatic History (2019).

Back home, Nick Moug has been a loyal friend and kept me laughing. I also thank my parents, Richard and Suzanne, for giving me my love of learning.

Finally, I thank my wife, Holly Salter, the love of my life who makes everything else worth it.