Read Book the Wise Men : Six Friends and the World They Made

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

Read Book the Wise Men : Six Friends and the World They Made THE WISE MEN : SIX FRIENDS AND THE WORLD THEY MADE PDF, EPUB, EBOOK Walter Isaacson | 864 pages | 04 Jun 2013 | SIMON & SCHUSTER | 9781476728827 | English | New York, United States The Wise Men : Six Friends and the World They Made PDF Book Lindsay Nov 3, Nevertheless, the book obviously took years of intense scholarship. We may owe current European unity to the efforts of John McCloy who, as High Commissioner of Germany, and its virtual czar, was an exceptionally sincere and honest broker among the war-torn nations of Europe. I'd know a bit about a few of them but the authors weave a coherent and informative account of all six men. Self-appointed defenders of freedom. In Establishment studies, it may take one to know one. Acheson is a key player throughout, although he was side-lined in the fifties after running afoul of McCarthy. Roosevelt to Lyndon Johnson and were influential in the development of Cold War era foreign policy for America. It is the history of the creation of the US foreign policy establishment, its heyday, and its dissolution in the Reagan years. Get A Copy. New arrivals. Los Angeles Times. The public had to be persuaded. They came together at one of those moments in history when time and place, upbringing and character, fuse into a kind of critical mass, and give ordinary men the power to forever change the way things are. See More Categories. The Most Anticipated Books of There is a new biography of McCloy out recently - it's on my list. Athens is lured into a war of its allies in far-away Sicily. Books by Walter Isaacson. Why I finished it: At 33 hours and 27 minutes this was not for the faint of heart or the casual interest. The early chapters are not particularly interesting, except from the fact that they provide a vivid and surprising insight into the world of the east-coast aristocracy 1st half 20C , which is probably necessary for a full appreciation of what follows. Harriman coached both Ellsworth Bunker, later U. Second Opinion. While I generally agree with most of the analysis provided by the authors, I do differ strongly on one point concerning McCloy. Acheson's efforts resulted in an avalanche of U. We can hope that biographies will be undertaken on the others, and that Isaacson and Thomas will be able to find more time to write at length. Each were remarkable men. Twilight StrugglesReunion at the brink. Share This Paper. Later, all became interested in public service under the FDR Administration. But by that time, their place in history as great men was already well earned. The Wise Men : Six Friends and the World They Made Writer Thank you for signing up, fellow book lover! We believe in the role of the individual and we still struggle to find the best to manage our great affairs. Chip Bohlen, John J. Bohlen, Kennan and McCloy were younger and did not know the others well until their public lives brought them into close contact. Covers the full gamut of history in the 20th century. This is a very enjoyable history of the origins of the cold war and national security policy making into the 70s. Treating it as a series of interwoven biographies was an effective approach to the subject and to the men themselves. Add to wishlist. They coalesced as a group when Truman became President in and greatly needed advice on foreign policy, as he knew very little in that area. And without doubt the Marshall Plan remains their purest and greatest achievement, power used to its best end. But by the seventies, the center no longer held; Vietnam had shattered the post-World War II consensus. If one takes a Tolstovian view of history, one could conclude that it was the great events of the times which thrust these six men to the front pages of history, and that actually they were the result, not the cause, of the events. Status Isaacson, Walter Author primary author all editions confirmed Thomas, Evan Author main author all editions confirmed. Discover this excellent publication writtern by by now, just right here, yeah only below. It is unlikely that Francie, whoever she is, will ever read this review, but, Francie, if you do, rest assured that at least one person gained much from reading your gift. He was appalled. The six were not ideologues, preferring to adopt a pragmatic outlook, holding moderate views and they believed in consensus. The Man to See. Acheson had a weakness for flattery and vanity, and often indulged in these vices, much to his friends' chagrin at times. They served in government partly out of personal satisfaction, partly as noblesse oblige. It offers a detailed picture of the development of American foreign policy over several decades. They were all intelligent, educated at elite private schools, and most came from wealthy families. For one thing we certainly know that Stalin was about self-preservation first. Charles Bohlen. This book really could stand some updating. From their youth, they were trained to expect doing large things. Hitler, the allies, and the Jews. Feb 02, Nicole rated it it was ok Shelves: national-security-policy , america-f-yeah , history , audio , a-n-book-club , That was the Truman Doctrine. Isaacson and Thomas fill the book with marvelous anecdotes and they describe the unique characteristics of the six lucidly and with humor. A blend of personal biography and public drama, it introduces the original best and brightest, leaders whose outsized personalities and actions brought order to postwar chaos: Averell Harriman, the freewheeling diplomat and Roosevelt's special envoy to Churchill and Stalin; Dean Acheson, the secretary of state who was more responsible for the Truman Doctrine than Truman and for the Marshall Plan than General Marshall; George Kennan, self-cast outsider and intellectual darling of the Washington elite; Robert Lovett, assistant secretary of war, undersecretary of state, and secretary of defense throughout the formative years of the Cold War; John McCloy, one of the nation's most influential private citizens; and Charles Bohlen, adroit diplomat and ambassador to the Soviet Union. The Spokesman-Review. Lists with This Book. Three-sided, without a seat for the NLF? It is the six biographies of men I vaguely remember as being aging luminaries when I was a child. Statesmen urge opposing policies and strategies. Instead of competing to build nuclear arsenals NATO and the Soviet Union could have used that cooperation to build lasting institutions far more effective than the United Nations. Reviewed By Michael V. By clicking accept or continuing to use the site, you agree to the terms outlined in our Privacy Policy , Terms of Service , and Dataset License. Evan Thomas. Jan 01, Book Dragon rated it liked it Shelves: biographies. Uh-oh, it looks like your Internet Explorer is out of date. To ask other readers questions about The Wise Men , please sign up. LBJs Establishment told the President he was wholly right. While interesting and thorough, I felt like I couldn't see the forest because there were just too many flippin' trees. Read an excerpt of this book! It is by no means a whitewash. Prophetic indeed. The s: The Acme of American Power. Instead, positions seemed to find him. The Wise Men : Six Friends and the World They Made Reviews Lovett, Dean Acheson, John J. Ironically, Nitze, icon of the modern American military was adamantly opposed to U. This site uses cookies to improve your user experience. The book chronicles their achievements and some failures in considerable detail from FDR's term on. Roswell Gilpatric The Wise Men book. All were instrumental in reshaping both U. But by the seventies, the center no longer held; Vietnam had shattered the post-World War II consensus. The other three, McCloy, Kennan and Bohlen, were younger and did not know the older men or each other well until their public lives threw them together. Harriman coached both Ellsworth Bunker, later U. I read this book a long time ago, and it was interesting to see how my perspective on these men and their effect on foreign policy in particular has changed. Bay of Pigs. The book manages to simultaneously tell a partial history of the Cold War while also documenting the lives of its six protagoni In International Relations programs, George Kennan is often venerated as a demigod. And as adults, I couldn't keep them straight. It was blamed for the cold war, Vietnam, and assorted other blunders; but its replacement, the self-centered, undisciplined, partisan, non-professional politicians-diplomats of the Reagan-Nixon era- has historians and revisionists yearning for the old order which had been, at least, consistent, selfless, and devoted to the national interest. But Putin? His prescient "Long Telegram" is still a sacred text of sorts. Jan 01, Book Dragon rated it liked it Shelves: biographies. Was he responsible for setting in motion the eventual tragedy of the Vietnam War just based on his almost sole focus on Europe and his belief that the Russians controlled all Communist countries? As much as I enjoyed Isaacson's bashing of Joe McCarthy and John Foster Dulles, the criticism seemed to stem less from these antagonists' enormously problematic worldviews than from their opposition to The Wise Men. Research Feed. Please follow the detailed Help center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders. The Wise Men : Six Friends and the World They Made Read Online Foreign Affairs. Google Books — Loading Their Cold War policy went from wartime collaboration with the Soviets to a polic This is an amazing story about the origins and early years of the Cold War as told through the lives of six individuals who shaped US foreign policy during the s - s.
Recommended publications
  • Harry S. Truman As a Modern Cyrus
    BYU Studies Quarterly Volume 34 Issue 1 Article 2 1-1-1994 Harry S. Truman as a Modern Cyrus Michael T. Benson Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq Part of the Mormon Studies Commons, and the Religious Education Commons Recommended Citation Benson, Michael T. (1994) "Harry S. Truman as a Modern Cyrus," BYU Studies Quarterly: Vol. 34 : Iss. 1 , Article 2. Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/byusq/vol34/iss1/2 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Journals at BYU ScholarsArchive. It has been accepted for inclusion in BYU Studies Quarterly by an authorized editor of BYU ScholarsArchive. For more information, please contact [email protected], [email protected]. Benson: Harry S. Truman as a Modern Cyrus harry S truman with chaim weizmann truman officially received weizmann on may 25 1948 the first time the head of the new jewish state was received by a US president on that occasion weizmann acknowledged trumanstromansTrumans role in the recognition of israel by presenting him with a set oftorahof torah scrolls abba eban recalled that truman was not fully briefed by his staff not understanding what was within the purple velvet covering truman responded ive always wanted a set of these courtesy of the bettmann archive Published by BYU ScholarsArchive, 1994 1 BYU Studies Quarterly, Vol. 34, Iss. 1 [1994], Art. 2 harry S truman as a modern cyrus despite concerted opposition from his advisors who saw the move as strategically unwise truman ignored strategy and
    [Show full text]
  • W. Averell Harriman Papers a Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress
    W. Averell Harriman Papers A Finding Aid to the Collection in the Library of Congress Manuscript Division, Library of Congress Washington, D.C. 2016 Contact information: http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/mss.contact Catalog Record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm85061911 Additional search options available at: https://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.ms003012 Prepared by Allan Teichroew with the assistance of Haley Barnett, Connie L. Cartledge, Paul Colton, Marie Friendly, Patrick Holyfield, Allyson H. Jackson, Patrick Kerwin, Mary A. Lacy, Sherralyn McCoy, John R. Monagle, Susie H. Moody, Sheri Shepherd, and Thelma Queen Revised by Connie L. Cartledge with the assistance of Karen Stuart, 1999 Revised by Michael Folkerts, 2016 Finding aid encoded by Library of Congress Manuscript Division, 2003 Revised 2016 October Collection Summary Title: W. Averell Harriman Papers Span Dates: 1869-2008 Bulk Dates: (bulk 1895-1986) ID No.: MSS61911 Creator: Harriman, W. Averell (William Averell), 1891-1986 Extent: 346,760 items Extent: 1,041 containers plus 11 classified and 75 oversize Extent: 529.9 linear feet Extent: 54 microfilm reels Language: Collection material in English Location: Manuscript Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. LC Catalog record: https://lccn.loc.gov/mm85061911 Summary: Diplomat, entrepreneur, philanthropist, and politician. Correspondence, memoranda, family papers, business records, diplomatic accounts, speeches, statements and writings, photographs, and other papers documenting Harriman's career in business, finance, politics, and public service, particularly during the Franklin Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, and Carter presidential administrations. Online Content: A digital copy of the Alaska expedition album is available is available on the Library of Congress Web site at http://hdl.loc.gov/loc.mss/eadmss.amrvm03.
    [Show full text]
  • The Origins of George F. Kennan's Theory of Containment: Stalin's Russia and the Failure of U.S. Foreign Policy
    Powell 1 The Origins of George F. Kennan’s Theory of Containment: Stalin’s Russia and the Failure of U.S. Foreign Policy Becky Powell Rice University’s History Department’s Honors Senior Thesis March 27, 2017 Powell 2 Introduction Kennan’s Containment Reconsidered: A New Context for Containment On a train headed to Moscow in 1933, a young, slightly naïve U.S. diplomat sat up all night, restless as he traveled through the once forbidden lands of the U.S.S.R. On the other side of the compartment, a Russian from the Soviet official news agency felt no such giddiness. Instead, he made himself at home in their tight quarters, stretching “himself out in his underwear” and sleeping “the sleep of the innocent.” George F. Kennan cared little though; he remained too excited at the prospect of setting up the new U.S. embassy in Moscow and living in the country he had learned to admire so much from afar. Reflecting back on the ride not long after, however, Kennan could only speak of it cynically. His compartment companion had almost certainly since that time “gone the way of most Soviet citizens who had contacts with foreigners in those days, and either…lost his head entirely or [was] laying it on a less comfortable pillow.” Years later, he would avoid conversation with everyday Russians he met while walking through Moscow, resigned to save them the trouble of explaining their actions to the Soviet secret police, who followed him everywhere.1 In time, the weight and ever present shadow of the Soviet regime in Stalin’s Russia, hardened Kennan as it had hardened the Soviet people.
    [Show full text]
  • Confronting Soviet Power Confronting Soviet Paul C
    Confronting Soviet Power Confronting Soviet Paul C. Avey Power U.S. Policy during the Early Cold War For many, the behav- ior of the United States in the early Cold War highlights the inºuence of ideas in foreign policy. According to this view, American liberalism directly faced off against Soviet Communism after World War II. This caused the United States to abandon collaboration, deªne the Soviet Union as an enemy, and implement a series of combative policies. In other words, Soviet power became a threat because the Soviet Union was a Communist dictatorship.1 To be sure, works in the realist tradition contend that balance of power concerns motivated U.S. policy. Yet these explanations often sidestep the role of ideas,2 blur the role of power and ideas,3 or incorporate ideas into their analysis.4 In short, many scholars accept that ideas were critical in pushing the United States to confront the Soviet Union and Communism. A close look at early Cold War history, however, suggests that U.S. policy was often inconsistent with the most prominent ideational explanations for U.S. behavior toward the Soviets. For instance, the United States genuinely at- tempted to engage the Soviet Union in the early postwar period despite aware- ness of the totalitarian nature of Soviet Communism. In addition, U.S. policy initially tolerated Communist groups beyond the Soviet Union and later tar- geted them to prevent Soviet expansion. Finally, the United States did not seri- Paul C. Avey is a Ph.D. candidate in political science at the University of Notre Dame.
    [Show full text]
  • Can There Be Societal Trustees in America Today?
    GoodWork® Project Report Series, Number 43 Can There Be Societal Trustees in America Today? By Dr. Howard Gardner The GoodWork® Project HARVARD UNIVERSITY Project Zero 124 Mt. Auburn St. Cambridge, MA 02138 [email protected] December 2005 Jeff Solomon, Series Editor GoodWork® Project Harvard University COPYRIGHT 2005. All Rights Reserved. Can There Be Societal Trustees in America Today? By Howard Gardner A half century ago, the idea of the American trustee was a familiar one. At that time, one could readily name several individuals who were well known, widely respected and claimed to be disinterested in the sense that they were no strongly identified with a single party or interest group. When the country faced problems, both the elite and ordinary citizens looked to these individuals for guidance- hence, they were often termed “wise men”. Gardner discusses the decline of trustees in American society and describes an empirical investigation of the phenomenon of social trusteeship. Gardner wonders whether there is a contemporary equivalent of past day’s trustees or whether the concept of trustees is one whose time has perhaps come and gone. 2 Can There Be Societal Trustees in America Today? Howard Gardner Harvard University A half century ago, the idea of the American trustee was a familiar one. At that time, one could readily name several individuals who were well-known, widely respected, and considered to be disinterested in the sense that they were not strongly identified with a single party or interest group. When the country faced problems, both the elite and ordinary citizens looked to these individuals for guidance—hence, they were often termed “wise men.” Howard Gardner, the John H.
    [Show full text]
  • Norm Consolidation in the European Union: the EU14-Austria Crisis in 2000
    Norm Consolidation in the European Union: The EU14-Austria Crisis in 2000 Acta Wexionensia No 75/2005 Political Science Norm Consolidation in the European Union: The EU14-Austria Crisis in 2000 Rebecka Ulfgard Växjö University Press Norm Consolidation in the European Union: The EU14-Austria Crisis in 2000. Thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy. Växjö University, Sweden 2005 Series editors: Tommy Book and Kerstin Brodén ISSN: 1404-4307 ISBN: 91-7636-482-8 Printed by: Intellecta Docusys, Gothenburg 2005 Abstract Ulfgard, Rebecka (2005). Norm Consolidation in the European Union: The EU14-Austria Crisis in 2000. Acta Wexionensia No. 75/2005. ISSN: 1404-4307, ISBN: 91-7636-482-8. Written in English. In late January 2000, the EU14 initiated a protest co-ordinated by the Portuguese EU Presidency against the coalition between Wolfgang Schüssel’s ÖVP and Jörg Haider’s right-wing extremist/populist FPÖ, accused of violating EU fundamen- tal values expressed in Article 6(1) TEU. When the government took office on 4 February diplomatic ‘sanctions’ were launched. During spring, the EU14’s wider interpretations of the sanctions, clumsy handling of Austrian countermeasures and deficient strategy on dismantling the protest contributed to crisis escalation. The solution was the appointment of so-called ‘wise men’ to evaluate the politi- cal nature of the FPÖ and the effects of the EU14’s ‘diplomatic whipping’ on government policies. Shortly after the Wise Men Report was published the EU14 lifted the ‘sanctions’ unconditionally, but insistent question marks remained. At the informal European Council meeting in Biarritz 13-14 October, the EU14 and the Austrian government agreed on amendments to the trigger mechanisms for the ‘sanctions article’, Article 7 TEU, incorporated in the Nice Treaty from De- cember 2000.
    [Show full text]
  • George F. Kennan and the Vietnam War, 1950-1968 Randall Doyle Grand Valley State University
    Grand Valley Review Volume 27 | Issue 1 Article 11 2004 The Reluctant Heretic: George F. Kennan and the Vietnam War, 1950-1968 Randall Doyle Grand Valley State University Follow this and additional works at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/gvr Recommended Citation Doyle, Randall (2004) "The Reluctant Heretic: George F. Kennan and the Vietnam War, 1950-1968," Grand Valley Review: Vol. 27: Iss. 1, Article 11. Available at: http://scholarworks.gvsu.edu/gvr/vol27/iss1/11 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by ScholarWorks@GVSU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Grand Valley Review by an authorized administrator of ScholarWorks@GVSU. For more information, please contact [email protected]. ment service, were The Reluctant unpopularity ofU.~ Thus, this artid lowing: Heretic: George a)The origins of the post-WWII pe1 E Kennan and sophical foundatim political and militaJ b)Kennan's willi the Vietnam War, eign policy during 1 c)Kennan's reluc rgso-rg68 policies concerning the wrath of the "~ establishment upor ot a perfect man. Not a man without human d)Kennan's lega1 weaknesses. Nevertheless, he remained a proud Professor 'fV!ndall crJoyle is N ment in Vietnam ac man with uncommon wisdom, unafraid to express currently a Visiting cASsistant Pro­ held concerning otl inner thoughts even if it caused him pain or humili­ fessor in the %story crJepartment e)The lessons th: ation. Insecure and thin-skinned, he had a need to be at grand Valley Jtate University. learn from its great heard. This serious man struck by bouts of depression, CJ!is primary teaching and research affected American foreign policy like no other since Part 1: The Origi areas are UJ.
    [Show full text]
  • The Flags of the 28 NATO Member Countries Flap in the Wind in Front of Headquarters in Brussels
    AUTHOR Frode Overland Andersen The flags of the 28 NATO member countries flap in the wind in front of headquarters in Brussels. 2 | FEATURES PRISM 6, NO. 1 NATO in Context Geopolitics and the Problem of Russian Power BY ROBERT E. HUNTER ince the end of the Cold War, the question “Whither NATO—and why?” has come up regularly, especially in the United States. This is not an idle question nor one that can Ssimply be dismissed. If anything, it is remarkable that the North Atlantic Treaty Organization still exists a quarter-century after the key reason for its creation—the widely shared perception of a political, strategic, and military threat from the Soviet Union—ceased to exist. To be sure, there is now renewed challenge from the Soviet Union’s principal successor state, the Russian Federation. From the beginning of the 1990s, however, until the Russian seizure of Crimea in 2014, a span of nearly 25 years, the argument could have been made that there was no need for continuing the Western alliance that did so much to contain Soviet power and the Warsaw Pact and that played a significant role in the dissolution of both. Many people did argue just this point, both in the United States and elsewhere, but they were never in the majority (or at least they never prevailed in public and parliamentary debate). The reasons for NATO’s continued existence are important to understand, including to provide a basis for considering its future and, more precisely, the tasks it should be asked to perform and its very character as an alliance of sovereign states spanning the two sides of the Atlantic.1 Power in Europe: Until the End of the Cold War NATO has been only one of the many instruments and political-security efforts designed to deal with problems of power in Europe.
    [Show full text]
  • A Failed Elite: the Committee on the Present Danger and the Great Debate of 1951
    A Failed Elite: The Committee on the Present Danger and the Great Debate of 1951 A thesis presented to the faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences of Ohio University In partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree Master of Arts Paul E. Isherwood March 2009 © 2009 Paul E. Isherwood. All Rights Reserved. 2 This thesis titled A Failed Elite: The Committee on the Present Danger and the Great Debate of 1951 by PAUL E. ISHERWOOD has been approved for the Department of History and the College of Arts and Sciences by Chester J. Pach Associate Professor of History Benjamin M. Ogles Dean, College of Arts and Sciences 3 ABSTRACT ISHERWOOD, PAUL E., M.A., March 2009, History A Failed Elite: The Committee on the Present Danger and the Great Debate of 1951 (154 pp.) Director of Thesis: Chester J. Pach This thesis examines the activity of the Committee on the Present Danger (CPD), a citizens committee founded in December, 1950, by James B. Conant and Tracy S. Voorhees. The CPD believed that neither the government nor the people of the United States paid sufficient regard to the military threat posed by the Soviet Union. To remedy this situation, the CPD favored a strong American response to a trend of aggressive actions by the Soviet Union and its allies highlighted by the Korean War. High on the CPD’s agenda was support for compulsory military service for a period of two years for all eighteen-year-old males, under a system known as universal military service. Previous studies have contended that the CPD played a major role in the political discussions on national security in the first half of 1951, known as the Great Debate.
    [Show full text]
  • Dean Acheson 1893-1971: a Biographical Sketch
    Dean Acheson 1893-1971: A Biographical Sketch Born Dean Gooderham Acheson on 11 April 1893, in Middletown, Connecticut, the son of Edward Campion Acheson, an Episcopal bishop, and Eleanor Gertrude Gooderham Acheson; 1915 graduates from Yale University with 'gendeman C' s', having first attended the Groton School; 1917 marries Alice Stanley, with whom he will have three children; 1918-20 graduates from Harvard Law School; serves as law clerk to Supreme CourtJustice Louis D. Brandeis; 1921joins law firm of Covington and Burling, with which he will be affiliated for the rest of his life; 1933 President Franklin D. Roosevelt appoints him Under Secretary of the Treasury at the recommendation of Felix Frankfurter; resigns six months later in protest against the reduction of the gold content of the dollar; 1936joins the Yale Corporation, on which he serves until 1961; 1941 appointed Assistant Secretary of State, and serves under Cordell Hull and Edward Stettinius; 1941-4 helps coordinate the lend-lease pro­ gram during World War II; 1941-53 at State Department, he is responsible for the Bretton Woods agreement leading to the establishment of the World Bank, assistance to Greece and Turkey under the Truman Doctrine, groundwork for the Marshall Plan, development of American atomic policy, forma­ tion of NATO, peace treaty with Japan, diplomacy over the Korean conflict, US policy toward the People's Republic of China, creation and rearmament of West Germany, and the era of bipartisanship in foreign policy; 1945-7 appointed Under Secretary of State
    [Show full text]
  • Nato – Towards a New Strategic Concept 2010
    MAANPUOLUSTUSKORKEAKOULU STRATEGIAN LAITOS JULKAISUSARJA 4: TYÖPAPEREITA No 33 NATIONAL DEFENCE UNIVERSITY DEPARTMENT OF STRATEGIC AND DEFENCE STUDIES SERIES 4: WORKING PAPERS No 33 NATO – TOWARDS A NEW STRATEGIC CONCEPT 2010 AGILOLF KESSELRING MAANPUOLUSTUSKORKEAKOULU Strategian laitos HELSINKI 2009 Agilolf Kesselring: NATO – Towards a New Strategic Concept 2010. Maanpuolustuskorkeakoulu, Strategian laitos Julkaisusarja 4: työpapereita No 33 National Defence University, Department of Strategic and Defence Studies Series 4: Working Papers No 33 Recent publications in pdf-format: http://www.mpkk.fi/fi/tutkimus-opetus/julkaisut/stratl/ Cover design: Janne Kopu ISSN 1236-4983 Maanpuolustuskorkeakoulu – National Defence University Strategian laitos – Department of Strategic and Defence Studies Edita Prima Oy Helsinki 2009 NATO – TOWARDS A NEW STRATEGIC CONCEPT 2010 Agilolf Kesselring The aim of this paper is to present and analyse the emerging decisions on the future strategy of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) in a broader context. As NATO is the main provider of security in Europe, a change in its strategy is not just a matter for the alliance itself, but affects – at least – the whole continent of Europe. The procedure of developing the new Strategic Concept is still at an early stage. A strategy paper will be formulated by the time of the Portugal summit in spring 2010, where it should be adopted by the NATO member states. Its content cannot be an- ticipated, of course. The main focus of this brief study will be on NATO’s current security debate and the implications of that debate for NATO’s “New Strategic Concept 2010”. It will approach the basic lines of the future strategy by highlighting the open questions, difficulties and opportunities that exist at present in the context of NATO’s own strategic history.
    [Show full text]
  • Containment: from 3 Theory to Practice
    CHAPTER Containment: From 3 Theory to Practice wenty-one years (1918–1939) separated the two world wars, provid- T ing their combatants with time to recover from their losses, restore some semblance of domestic order, redefine their national interests, and prepare for future challenges. But that was not true after World War II. Even before the conflict was over, both the Soviet Union and the Western Allies were posturing for spheres of influence in central Europe. And it was only six months after the Japanese surrender that Winston Churchill gloomily proclaimed that an “iron curtain” had descended acrossdistribute central Europe, defining the battle lines of the next global confrontation. If there was an “interwar” period in this case, it was hardly perceptible. Fortunately for the United States, the late 1940s were among theor most imaginative years in U.S. diplomatic history. With the guidance of an unusually cohesive team of advisers, President Harry Truman transformed the nation’s foreign policy so the United States could compete indefinitely as a political, economic, and military superpower. The “wise men” of the Truman administration established the basis of the Western strategy that ultimately prevailed in the Cold War.1 post, The global scope of the challenge guaranteed that putting contain- ment into practice would be a monumental task. The obstacles were espe- cially great because of the traditional American penchant for withdrawal and isolation from great-power politics in peacetime. Further hampering the United States was the lack of an institutional basis for dealing with a worldwidecopy, threat that was not likely to disappear or be defeated militarily within a few years.
    [Show full text]