American Diplomacy, 1900-50

by George F. Kennan

Paperback, 1965

Status

Available

Call number

327.73

Collection

Publication

Mentor / New American Library (1965), Paperback, 128 pages

Description

For more than sixty years, George F. Kennan's American Diplomacy has been a standard work on American foreign policy. Drawing on his considerable diplomatic experience and expertise, Kennan offers an overview and critique of the foreign policy of an emerging great power whose claims to rightness often spill over into self-righteousness, whose ambitions conflict with power realities, whose judgmentalism precludes the interests of other states, and whose domestic politics frequently prevent prudent policies and result in overstretch. Keenly aware of the dangers of military intervention and the negative effects of domestic politics on foreign policy, Kennan identifies troubling inconsistencies in the areas between actions and ideals--even when the strategies in question turned out to be decided successes. In this expanded sixtieth-anniversary edition, a substantial new introduction by John J. Mearsheimer, one of America's leading political realists, provides new understandings of Kennan's work and explores its continued resonance. As America grapples with its new role as one power among many--rather than as the "indispensable nation" that sees "further into the future"--Kennan's perceptive analysis of the past is all the more relevant. Today, as then, the pressing issue of how to wield power with prudence and responsibility remains, and Kennan's cautions about the cost of hubris are still timely. Refreshingly candid, American Diplomacy cuts to the heart of policy issues that continue to be hotly debated today. "These celebrated lectures, delivered at the University of Chicago in 1950, were for many years the most widely read account of American diplomacy in the first half of the twentieth century."--Foreign Affairs, Significant Books of the Last 75 Years… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member Scapegoats
A great set of essays (based on lectures) by the father of Containment. It is less history than commentary. In fact, some of the details of his history are shaky. That doesn't diminish from the insight of his commentary, though. This was aimed at an early Cold War audience, but still resonates in
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the 21st century. He identifies problems with ideology in foreign policy as well as the dangers of a shaky policy-making process. His arguments about the fallacy "unconditional surrender" as a viable goal is compelling. He also states that "war is a beginning, not an end", which is something Americans in general need to understand. While some of the specifics in his examples are suspect, his conclusions can't be dismissed. A must read for anyone interested in foreign policy.
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LibraryThing member gregdehler
I agree with the pervious reviews in that this was not a well rounded history. It is an interpretation of some mistakes, as Kennan sees them, in previous American diplomatic episodes. The book argues for a foreign policy based on national interests and not on ideology or moral principles. He is a
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realist, not a Machiavellian, however. The central message are 1) American policy makers should not make promises they cannot keep 2) the United States should remain diplomatically engaged in the world at all times and places (this does not mean military involvement) 3) War means a breakdown of the diplomatic system and will open a pandora's box we cannot control 4) We need long term strategic objectives, not short term political goals 5) Finally, USA should not allow its foreign policy to be blinded by emotional objectives.
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LibraryThing member mdobe
George Kennan provides an unflattering assessment of the Wilson administration's overall diplomatic accomplishments. The father of post-WWII "realism" Kennan approaches the history of WWI with the expressed purpose of
gleaning lessons which will enhance American security in the present (i.e. 1951).
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Since much of Kennan's thought came to influence American foreign policy Kennan's work blurs the line of distinction between source document and popular monograph.

It is virtually impossible from the perspective of 1993 to view his assessment of WWI outside the context of the Cold War. It is the Soviet threat which concerns Kennan. Hence, his primary criticism of America's approach to WWI is that America aided in the destruction of Europe's balance of powers and ultimately opened the door to Nazi and then Soviet expansionism. If only America had recognized in 1914 that its interests were involved in this European conflict, and not sought the total defeat of Germany after its entrance into the war, the conflict could have been brought to a close more quickly and we would not have had to fight a war against Nazism (not to mention the Cold War). Yet, even Kennan admits in this short piece that popular opinion would have been extremely hard to sway in favor of military intervention before April 1917, or for moderation once the fight was joined. Certainly unhappy with President Wilson's leadership, Kennan is even less happy with the functioning of democracy. Therein lies the rub.

For Kennan, the central problem in American foreign policy is how to maintain the external trappings of democracy while gutting its content. As such Kennan's interpretation of history goes beyond traditionalism (which focuses on the policies of elites) and enters the realm of elitism, urging the positive role of elites in determining what is "best" for the benighted American nation.
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Awards

Language

Physical description

128 p.

ISBN

0451002164 / 9780451002167
Page: 0.9706 seconds