false http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1180200685m/1009138.jpg 1009138 7 Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger asks a question in the title of his book <I>Does America Need a Foreign Policy?</I>--but there's really no doubt about the answer. That's not to say it shouldn't be asked: "The last presidential election was the third in a row in which foreign policy was not seriously discussed by the candidates," writes Kissinger. "In the face of perhaps the most profound and widespread upheavals the world has ever seen, [the United States] has failed to develop concepts relevant to the emerging realities." Kissinger tours the world in this book, describing how the United States should relate to various regions and countries. This is not a gripping book, but it is sober, accessible, brief, and comprehensive--and an excellent introduction to international relations and diplomacy. <p> Kissinger has opinions on just about every topic he raises, from globalization (for it) to international courts (against them, for the most part). He supports a vigorous missile-defense system: "The United States cannot condemn its population to permanent vulnerability." He opines on peace in the Middle East: "Israel should abandon its opposition to the creation of a Palestinian state except as part of a final status agreement." His claims are often eye-opening: "There are few nations in the world with which the United States has less reason to quarrel or more compatible interests than Iran." He is especially critical of domestic politics interfering with America's international relations: "Whatever the merit of the individual legislative actions, their cumulative effect drives American foreign policy toward unilateral and seemingly bullying conduct." The media has been a special problem in this regard, as it zips around the world in search of exciting but ephemeral stories, which are "generally presented as a morality play between good and evil having a specific outcome and rarely in terms of the long-range challenges of history." Does America need a foreign policy? Of course it does, and Henry Kissinger has done readers a service by outlining what a good one might be. <I>--John J. Miller</I> 995264 1939 Does America Need a Foreign Policy? : Toward a Diplomacy for the 21st Century total:81|5:11|4:20|3:30|2:16|1:4| 81 261 115 5 5 0 false false Wed May 21 22:36:16 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 02 02:23:42 -0700 2008
Kissinger's approach is -- as is his style -- Bismarckian realist. His central frame of reference is that of Europe, area to which he first applied h...more...]]> 5 0 false false Thu Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Wed Sep 10 15:15:07 -0700 2008 Wed Sep 10 15:24:12 -0700 2008 4 more...]]> 5 0 false false Tue Aug 05 04:05:54 -0700 2008 Tue Aug 05 05:04:41 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Thu Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2007 Tue Mar 27 17:18:43 -0700 2007 Thu Mar 29 12:44:01 -0700 2007 3 0 false false Fri Jul 13 08:12:17 -0700 2007 Fri Jul 13 08:13:22 -0700 2007 2 0 false false Tue Nov 24 15:08:35 -0800 2009 Tue Nov 24 15:08:35 -0800 2009 3 0 false false Sun Nov 22 20:59:52 -0800 2009 Sun Nov 22 20:59:52 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Wed Nov 11 11:28:02 -0800 2009 Wed Nov 11 11:28:06 -0800 2009 0 0 false false Sun Oct 25 22:50:11 -0700 2009 Sun Oct 25 22:50:19 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Sat Oct 17 19:08:40 -0700 2009 Sat Oct 17 19:08:40 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Mon Aug 31 12:15:48 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 31 12:15:48 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Thu Aug 13 18:53:21 -0700 2009 Thu Aug 13 18:54:06 -0700 2009 5 0 false false Tue Aug 11 15:19:36 -0700 2009 Tue Aug 11 15:19:36 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Fri Jul 31 11:34:31 -0700 2009 Fri Jul 31 11:34:31 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Wed Jul 15 12:08:22 -0700 2009 Wed Jul 15 12:08:22 -0700 2009 3 0 false false Sun Jul 05 09:04:21 -0700 2009 Sun Jul 05 09:04:21 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Mon Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2001 Thu Jun 25 11:48:07 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 25 11:48:14 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Thu Jun 18 07:36:51 -0700 2009 Thu Jun 18 07:36:51 -0700 2009 2 0 false false Wed Jun 03 07:05:36 -0700 2009 Wed Jun 03 07:05:36 -0700 2009 4 0 false false Sun Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2006 Thu May 14 10:50:30 -0700 2009 Thu May 14 10:50:38 -0700 2009 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=1009138