America in the world
Rise to Globalism: American Foreign Policy since 1938. By Stephen E. Ambrose. Penguin, 1988. 357 pp. $16.95 (approx?) (paperback). (Reviewed by Alan Conway) This is the fifth revised edition of a book which with nearly a dozen reprints since 1971 must have netted the author a small fortune — and deservedly so. It is one of the best, concise, single-volume summaries of American foreign policy from Roosevelt to Reagan to have appeared to date. It is well written and cogently argued. Judgments on each President’s foreign policy are made quite dispassionately with even-handed justice whether the Presidents happen to be Republicans or Democrats. He conducts the reader from World War II through the Cold War years to Korea and Vietnam, and finally gives good coverage to more recent events such as the “star wars” concept of President Reagan, the Iran-contra scandal, and summit meetings with President Gorbachev. By avoiding the
pitfall of excessive detail, Ambrose succeeds in making American foreign policy intensely interesting. He has, moreover, by skilful selection ensured that each chapter begins with one or two pithy quotations. Those readers in New Zealand who favour the purchase of frigates will be delighted with the quotation from Winston Churchill, “There is only one thing worse than fighting with your allies and that is fighting without them.” Another quotation which illustrates the speed of change in recent times and which must have come back to haunt exPresident Carter is his declaration in 1977, “Iran is an island of stability in one of the more troubled areas of the world.” But pride of place must go to Le Due Tho when negotiating with Henry Kissinger for a peace settlement in Vietnam in 1972, “Let me speak to you honestly, frankly and openheartedly — You are a liar!” Would that there were more such openhearted people in international diplomacy.
Permanent link to this item
https://paperspast.natlib.govt.nz/newspapers/CHP19890729.2.107.11
Bibliographic details
Press, 29 July 1989, Page 22
Word Count
309America in the world Press, 29 July 1989, Page 22
Using This Item
Stuff Ltd is the copyright owner for the Press. You can reproduce in-copyright material from this newspaper for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons BY-NC-SA 3.0 New Zealand licence. This newspaper is not available for commercial use without the consent of Stuff Ltd. For advice on reproduction of out-of-copyright material from this newspaper, please refer to the Copyright guide.
Copyright in all Footrot Flats cartoons is owned by Diogenes Designs Ltd. The National Library has been granted permission to digitise these cartoons and make them available online as part of this digitised version of the Press. You can search, browse, and print Footrot Flats cartoons for research and personal study only. Permission must be obtained from Diogenes Designs Ltd for any other use.
Acknowledgements
This newspaper was digitised in partnership with Christchurch City Libraries.