Eccentric Realist , livre ebook

icon

203

pages

icon

English

icon

Ebooks

2011

Écrit par

Publié par

Lire un extrait
Lire un extrait

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus

Découvre YouScribe et accède à tout notre catalogue !

Je m'inscris

Découvre YouScribe et accède à tout notre catalogue !

Je m'inscris
icon

203

pages

icon

English

icon

Ebooks

2011

Lire un extrait
Lire un extrait

Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus

During the 2008 election season, the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates both aspired to be understood as foreign policy "realists" in the mold of Henry Kissinger. Kissinger, who is distrusted on the neoconservative right for his skepticism about American exceptionalism and on the liberal left for his amoral, realpolitik approach, once again stood as the sage of foreign relations and the wise man who rises above partisan politics. In The Eccentric Realist, Mario Del Pero questions this depiction of Kissinger. Lauded as the foreign policy realist par excellence, Kissinger, as Del Pero shows, has been far more ideological and inconsistent in his policy formulations than is commonly realized.Del Pero considers the rise and fall of Kissinger''s foreign policy doctrine over the course of the 1970s—beginning with his role as National Security Advisor to Nixon and ending with the collapse of détente with the Soviet Union after Kissinger left the scene as Ford''s outgoing Secretary of State. Del Pero shows that realism then (not unlike realism now) was as much a response to domestic politics as it was a cold, hard assessment of the facts of international relations. In the early 1970s, Americans were weary of ideological forays abroad; Kissinger provided them with a doctrine that translated that political weariness into foreign policy. Del Pero argues that Kissinger was keenly aware that realism could win elections and generate consensus. Moreover, over the course of the 1970s it became clear that realism, as practiced by Kissinger, was as rigid as the neoconservativism that came to replace it.In the end, the failure of the détente forged by the realists was not the defeat of cool reason at the hands of ideologically motivated and politically savvy neoconservatives. Rather, the force of American exceptionalism, the touchstone of the neocons, overcame Kissinger''s political skills and ideological commitments. The fate of realism in the 1970s raises interesting questions regarding its prospects in the early years of the twenty-first century.


Voir icon arrow

Date de parution

15 janvier 2011

EAN13

9780801459771

Langue

English

Poids de l'ouvrage

2 Mo

The Eccentric Realist
The Eccentric Realist
Henry Kissinger and the Shaping of American Foreign Policy
Mario Del Pero
Cornell University Press Ithaca and London
© 2006, Gius. Laterza & Figli SpA. This translation ofHenry Kissinger e l’ascesa dei neoconservatoriis published by arrangement with Gius. Laterza & Figli SpA, RomaBari.
Copyright © 2010 by Cornell University
All rights reserved. Except for brief quotations in a review, this book, or parts thereof, must not be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher. For information, address Cornell University Press, Sage House, 512 East State Street, Ithaca, New York 14850.
First published 2010 by Cornell University Press Printed in the United States of America
Library of Congress CataloginginPublication Data Del Pero, Mario.  [Henry Kissinger e l’ascesa dei neoconservatori. English]  The eccentric realist : Henry Kissinger and the shaping of American foreign policy / Mario Del Pero.  p. cm.  Includes bibliographical references and index.  ISBN 9780801447594 (cloth : alk. paper)  1. Kissinger, Henry, 1923– 2. United States—Foreign relations. 3. Realism—Political aspects—United States. 4. Conservatism— United States. I. Title.  E744.D335 2010  973.924092—dc22 2009023334
Cornell University Press strives to use environmentally responsible suppliers and materials to the fullest extent possible in the publishing of its books. Such materials include vegetablebased, lowVOC inks and acidfree papers that are recycled, totally chlorinefree, or partly composed of nonwood fibers. For further information, visit our website at www.cornellpress.cornell.edu.
Cloth printing
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
Introduction
Contents
1. The Crisis of Containment
2. Kissinger and Kissingerism
3. Kissingerism in Action
4. The Domestic Critique of Kissinger Conclusion
Notes Index
1 12 43 77 110 145
153 183
The Eccentric Realist
Introduction
On the night of September 26, 2008, during an otherwise predictable presidential debate, Henry Kissinger—his thoughts, his words and, more importantly, their true meaning—suddenly became a heated topic of dis cussion between the two candidates. Barack Obama and John McCain were discussing the possibility of the United States engaging in highlevel talks, “without conditions,” with some of America’s most loathed enemies, including Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s Iran. Drawing a historical parallel, McCain claimed that the opening to China in 1972, one of the most re nowned examples of U.S. engagement with a hitherto absolute enemy, had been carefully planned. Richard Nixon’s visit, McCain claimed, “was preceded by Henry Kissinger, many times before he went.” (Both claims were inaccurate: there was an element of improvisation during the entire process, and Kissinger had visited China only twice prior to Nixon’s trip to Beijing.) Obama did not miss the opportunity: “I’m glad that Senator Mc Cain brought up the history, the bipartisan history of us engaging in direct diplomacy,” the soontobeelected president argued. “Senator McCain
Voir icon more
Alternate Text