"The End of Engagement is an astonishing and pathbreaking study. Sociologist David McCourt digs beneath the veneer of Sino-American and US-Russia relations to examine the twin communities of America's leading China and Russia specialists themselves. He astutely reveals how these experts have grappled with the repressive and revisionist turns of Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin--but, more importantly, how the longstanding American policies of 'engagement' of each power have been shaken and forced to adapt to disturbing new realities. This is political sociology at its best, the comparative perspective is illuminating, and it should be carefully read inside and outside the Washington Beltway." -- David Shambaugh, George Washington University and The Hoover Institution"The End of Engagement stands as a landmark contribution to the study of U.S. foreign policy. Its sociological lens challenges established narratives, providing nuanced insights into the intersections of expertise, power, and international strategy.

For scholars, policymakers, and readers seeking a deeper understanding of the mechanisms shaping policy decision-making, McCourt's work is both essential and thought-provoking, opening new avenues for exploring how epistemic communities influence the architecture of global relations." -- STEFAN MESSINGSCHLAGER, Archiv für Sozialgeschichte"McCourt provides an interesting perspective, and his interviews add an important dimension to the still-unfolding story of the end of engagement and its consequences." -- L. M. Lees, CHOICE"McCourt's painstaking efforts to go beyond the 'hawks versus doves' classification and to examine the divisions within America's China and Russia fieldsis admirable." -- Olivia Cheung, International Affairs.