Over the past seven years, a number of people have helped me in various ways to develop this research project, which began as a doctoral dissertation, approved in 2014, and adapted now in the format of a book. I would like to start by saying that my supervisor, Charles Jones, has been exceptionally supportive of my PhD research project since it was first loosely formulated when I was about to apply for a PhD at Cambridge. While at Cambridge, I was pleased to soon discover that we shared similar interests. His interdisciplinary research and approach to the history and theory of international relations, as well as his intellectual guidance and meticulous feedback, have been fundamental for the development and writing of this book. Meeting Duncan Bell at Cambridge and the encounter with his work on British and U.S. international political thought and liberalism and empire has been an important stimulus for writing this book. I am particularly grateful to him, for he offered very insightful and generous feedback on my dissertation and work, and he also provided helpful orientation and advice for turning the dissertation into a book following my viva and approaching publishers. I am also especially grateful to my examiners, Stephen Neff and John A. Thompson, who have offered insightful feedback in the context of the viva, especially with regard to turning the dissertation into a book. In particular, some specific observations and the discussion with Stephen Neff provided inspiration for the title of this book. I am also thankful to my book reviewers, who have helped me to refine and clarify my arguments, as well as to improve the overall structure and style of the book so that it could lose the character and prose of a doctoral dissertation.