At first glance, St. Louis, Missouri, seems to have little to do with foreign relations, a field ostensibly conducted on a nation-state level. However, St. Louis, despite its status as an inland river city frequently relegated to the backwaters of national significance, has stood at the crossroads of interna­tional matters for much of its history. From its eighteenth-century French fur trade origins to post–Cold War busi­ness dealings with Latin America and Asia, the city has never neglected nor been ignored by the world outside its borders.

In this pioneering study, Henry W. Berger analyzes St. Louis’s imperial engagement from its founding in 1764 to the present day, revealing the inter­section of local political, cultural, and economic interests in foreign affairs. He shows how St. Louis business lead­ers, entrepreneurs, politicians, and investors—often driven by personal and ideological motives, as well as the potential betterment of the city and its people—looked to the west, southwest, Latin America, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific to form economic or political partnerships. Many of these attempted imperial activities failed, but even when they succeeded, Berger explains, the economy and the people of St. Louis did not usually benefit.

By shifting the focus of foreign relations history from the traditional confines of nation-state conduct to municipal and regional behaviour, this innovative study highlights the domestic foundations and content of foreign policy, opening new avenues for study in the field of foreign relations.