Ben’s Reviews > The Lessons of Tragedy: Statecraft and World Order > Status Update

chapter 6 outlines the rise of global authoritarianism and the increased capabilities of these powers to challenge US influence abroad and to create a new world order. As the authors outline, shifts in the world order lead to tragedy, and the end of the chapter begs Americans to avert tragedy before it’s too late. But has American overextension already resigned it to a grisly fate?

Likens America’s post-Cold War sensibilities as utopian and ultimately incongruent with its Cold War “peace-keeping” practices. The chapter draws clear, but not explicitly stated, comparisons to the naïveté which plagued the international system after great wars and increased in technology. Even though I don’t agree with the book’s sensibilities, the history is fascinating. Little has changed, ever

Chapter three outlines the way tragedy can either contribute to the preservation of peace or passivity that spirals into war. Peace is active, not passive, and requires expenditure of resources and many hard decisions

A promising start but I have little hope it will transcend its America-centric introduction. I do forsee that America’s complicity with the creation of the world’s current state will be explored, but the onus to fix the problem ultimately seems to rest on America.

Stability and peace is a lie. Stability and peace here mean wear and instability abroad. That’s what I’ve learned.