According to general Realist premises after the end of the Cold War the United States took an
interest in remaining the only super power. Accordingly it was attempting to maintain and
manage unipolarity. The pursuit of this Grand Strategy however required the U.S. to adapt its
various strategies to the various receiving states. Poland Ukraine and Belarus played very
unalike roles in that configuration: Whilst Poland was labeled America's best friend by
President George W. Bush Belarus was not seeking alignment with the U.S. whereas Ukraine-U.S.
relations were subject to many ups and downs. The three countries' diverging attitudes towards
Washington led to very different policy approaches from a U.S. vantage point. As this study
shows the U.S. did not have an overall strategy for the region. Rather Washington managed its
relations with European states through a set of mainly bilateral relations. Madeleine Albright
once described the tools of foreign policy as including everything from kind words to cruise
missiles. This book is a comparative case study of the United States' use of these tools in its
approaches towards Poland Ukraine and Belarus after the end of the Cold War. As the only
remaining superpower Washington played a key role in the formation of post-communist Central
and Eastern Europe. Yet its actions and policies have received comparatively little attention.
This book contributes to filling that gap by providing three in-depth case studies.
