false 16003 11 From its opening-line salvo&#151;"It is time to stop pretending that Europeans and Americans share a common view of the world, or even that they occupy the same world"&#151;<I>Of Paradise and Power</I> announces a new phase in the relationship between the United States and Europe. Robert Kagan begins this illuminating essay by laying out the general differences as he sees them: the U.S. is quicker to use military force, less patient with diplomacy, and more willing to coerce (or bribe) other nations in order to get a desired result. Europe, on the other hand, places greater emphasis on diplomacy, takes a much longer view of history and problem solving, and has greater faith in international law and cooperation. Kagan does not view these differences as the result of innate national character, but as a time-honored historical reality--the U.S. is merely behaving like the powerful nation it is, just as the great European nations once did when they ruled the world. Now, Europe must act multilaterally because it has no choice. The "UN Security Council is a substitute for the power they lack," he writes. </p><p> Kagan also emphasizes the inherent ironies present in the relationship. European nations have enjoyed an "American security guarantee" for nearly 60 years, allowing them to cut back on defense spending while criticizing the U.S. for not doing the same. Yet Europe relies upon the U.S. for protection. This has led America and Europe to view the same threats much differently, as evidenced by the split over how to deal with Iraq and Saddam Hussein. Kagan points out that some European leaders are more afraid of how the U.S. will wield its power in the Middle East than they are of the thought of Hussein or other "rogue state" leaders acquiring weapons of mass destruction. </p> Kagan's brevity is as impressive as it is appreciated; most writers would have required thrice as many pages to get to their point. At any length, the book is nothing short of brilliant. This is essential reading for those seeking to understand the post-Cold War world. <I>--Shawn Carkonen</I> 143967 2003 Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order total:196|5:25|4:75|3:64|2:26|1:6| 196 675 268 20 4 0 false false Sat Mar 15 00:00:00 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 21 22:47:42 -0700 2008 Fri Mar 21 23:33:46 -0700 2008
The relationship between the US and Europe is something that can only be understood by looking at the history between the two; something Kagan does relatively well. Europe, with the help of a powerful Ame...more...]]> 3 0 false false Sat Sep 01 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Fri Sep 28 17:23:27 -0700 2007 Fri May 23 07:11:01 -0700 2008 ...more...]]> 4 0 false false Wed Oct 03 11:33:52 -0700 2007 Wed Oct 03 11:42:04 -0700 2007 more...]]> 2 0 false false Thu Jul 01 00:00:00 -0700 2004 Thu Feb 12 13:42:25 -0800 2009 Thu Feb 12 13:42:49 -0800 2009 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Thu Feb 28 16:21:31 -0800 2008 Thu Feb 28 16:28:56 -0800 2008
I thought this was a really interesting book at the time that I read it; it speculates that the reason that Europe is so much less warlike and more socialist than the USA is that they don't spend ANY money on defense any more (knowing that the USA is spendin...more...]]> 4 0 false false Mon Aug 03 11:24:36 -0700 2009 Mon Aug 03 11:26:59 -0700 2009 0 0 false false Sat Jan 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Mon Jan 26 11:55:12 -0800 2009 Mon Jan 26 11:56:14 -0800 2009 5 0 false false Thu Nov 27 02:16:11 -0800 2008 Thu Nov 27 14:09:58 -0800 2008 Mondadori, 2003]]> 4 0 false false Tue Jul 01 22:21:04 -0700 2008 Mon Jun 30 12:34:29 -0700 2008 Tue Jul 01 22:21:04 -0700 2008 more...]]> 3 0 false false Wed Dec 31 00:00:00 -0800 2008 Mon Dec 29 13:58:33 -0800 2008 Wed Dec 31 23:26:07 -0800 2008 5 0 false false Fri Mar 16 00:00:00 -0800 2001 Tue Feb 19 14:47:27 -0800 2008 Tue Feb 19 14:47:27 -0800 2008 more...]]> 4 0 false false Tue Apr 01 00:00:00 -0800 2003 Tue Jun 26 08:19:08 -0700 2007 Tue Jun 26 11:31:51 -0700 2007 4 0 false false Tue Oct 23 20:43:55 -0700 2007 Mon Apr 21 03:59:20 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Thu Feb 22 19:11:07 -0800 2007 Thu Feb 22 19:14:41 -0800 2007 3 0 false false Fri Oct 24 08:19:08 -0700 2008 Fri Oct 24 08:20:18 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Fri Aug 24 00:00:00 -0700 2007 Mon Aug 04 05:28:01 -0700 2008 Mon Aug 04 05:29:02 -0700 2008 5 0 false false Tue Nov 01 00:00:00 -0800 2005 Mon Aug 20 19:10:10 -0700 2007 Mon Aug 20 19:11:32 -0700 2007 4 0 false false Tue Sep 02 12:54:32 -0700 2008 Tue Sep 02 12:55:14 -0700 2008 3 0 false false Thu Oct 11 13:07:01 -0700 2007 Thu Oct 11 13:07:01 -0700 2007 4 0 false false Mon Mar 01 00:00:00 -0800 2004 Sat Dec 22 06:46:54 -0800 2007 Thu Jan 29 12:01:37 -0800 2009 2 http://www.goodreads.com/book_link/follow/8?book_id=16003