America Between the Wars: From 11/9 to 9/11: The Misunderstood Years Between the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the Start of the War on Terror
Author: Derek Chollet
When the Berlin Wall collapsed on November 9, 1989— signaling the end of the Cold War—America and the West declared victory: Democracy and free markets had prevailed and the United States emerged as the world's triumphant superpower. The finger-on-the-button tension that had defined a generation was over, and it seemed that peace was at hand.
The next twelve years rolled by in a haze of self-congratulation— what some now call a "holiday from history. "When that complacency shattered on September 11, 2001, setting the U.S. on a new and contentious path, confused Americans asked themselves: How did we get here?
In America Between The Wars, Derek Chollet and James Goldgeier examine how the decisions and debates of the years between the fall of the Wall on 11/9 and the collapse of the Twin Towers on 9/11 shaped the events, arguments, and politics of the world we live in today. Reflecting the authors' deep expertise and broad access to key players across the political spectrum, this book tells the story of a generation of leaders grappling with a moment of dramatic transformation—changing how we should think about the recent past, and uncovering important lessons for the future.
The New York Times - Michiko Kakutani
Mr. Chollet (who served in the State Department during the Clinton administration and who is now a senior fellow at the Center for a New American Security) and Mr. Goldgeier (a professor of political science and international affairs at George Washington University and a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations) have written an astute and highly informed book, lucidly mapping the forces that have been reshaping the post-cold-war world as a clearly defined superpower rivalry between the United States and the Soviet Union has given way to a far more complex and chaotic set of circumstances involving terrorism, ethnic conflict and the integration of the global economy.
Kirkus Reviews
A nation becalmed becomes a nation adrift in this provocative study from the Council on Foreign Relations. When the Berlin Wall fell, triumphalist commentators declared that the United States and its lesser allies were suddenly free of history: Capitalism had won, peace was ubiquitous and America was the world's sole superpower. Lately, it seems as if the dozen years between the fall of communism and the al-Qaeda attacks of 9/11 mark a mere recess. The first Bush administration was not exactly inclined to that triumphalism, write analysts Chollet (The Road to the Dayton Accords: A Study of American Statecraft, 2005, etc.) and Goldgeier (Not Whether But When: The U.S. Decision to Enlarge NATO, 1999, etc.), though with the first Gulf War it would "try to turn [the Kuwait] crisis into the conceptual foundation of its post-Cold War foreign policy," the vaunted and now ethereal "new world order." This occasioned a sharp division between paleoconservatives such as Pat Buchanan and neoconservatives such as Dick Cheney, the former believing that America was a republic and not an empire, the latter that America's powerful military privileged the nation to tell the rest of the world how to behave. The Clinton administration was less inclined to commit forces abroad until its second term, when the president seems to have decided that he needed more medals on his legacy, while "his critics complained that the president was trying too hard and getting too involved and, as a result, frittering away the leverage that comes with more selective presidential engagement." Meanwhile, of course, other enemies were gathering, unleashing their fury on Bush II, who had campaigned sounding like an isolationistbut, come 2001, was ready to try on an empire for size-to, it is increasingly clear, tragic ends. A careful explication of why things are as they are, with all those old arguments continuing to sizzle and pop-suggestive and highly useful for those seeking to reshape policy in the near term. Agent: Larry Weissman/Larry Weissman Literary
Books about: Yoga in Focus or The Positive Psychology of Buddhism and Yoga
Founding Fathers: The Essential Guide to the Men Who Made America
Author: Encyclopaedia Britannica
An authoritative, accessible guide to the figures who shaped a nation
How did upstart colonists solidify the ideas celebrated in the Declaration of Independence and defeat the powerful British army? How did thinkers from disparate backgrounds shape a government that transformed modern politics? The Founding Fathers explains how, putting valuable information on this historic period at your fingertips—straight from one of the most trusted sources of information around the globe.
This comprehensive guide takes a compelling look at prominent statesmen such as Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Thomas Paine, and George Washington and lesser-known but influential leaders such as Samuel Chase, Charles Pinckney, and others. Alphabetized for easy reference, it also offers discussions of key issues, including slavery, the separation of powers, the presidency, and Deism and Christianity; events, such as the American Revolution, the Whiskey Rebellion, and the Louisiana Purchase; and documents, including the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Every special essay and concise entry—from "Abigail Adams" to "George Wythe"—promotes the deeper understanding of the personalities, issues, and events that only Encyclop'dia Britannica can provide.
The book's balanced, fact-based coverage of the Founding Fathers is especially relevant today, when differing interpretations of their intent are used in debates over current policies. The Founding Fathers is the ideal resource for anyone looking to hone his or her knowledge of the fascinating figures who wrote the first chapter of U.S. history.
Table of Contents:
Note to the Reader ixIntroduction Joseph J. Ellis 1
Adams, Abigail 13
Adams, John 16
Adams, Samuel 26
Alien and Sedition Acts 29
American Revolution 30
Articles of Confederation 43
Bill of Rights 44
Blair, John 46
Burr, Aaron 47
Carroll, Charles 49
Chase, Samuel 50
Checks and Balances 51
Clark, Abraham 52
Constitution of the United States of America 53
Continental Congress 59
Dayton, Jonathan 61
Declaration of Independence 62
A Closer Look: The Founding Fathers and Slavery Anthony Iaccarino 66
Democratic-Republican Party 70
Dickinson, John 72
Federalist Papers 73
Federalist Party 75
Franklin, Benjamin 77
French and Indian War 92
Gerry, Elbridge 94
Gwinnett, Button 95
Hale, Nathan 96
Hamilton, Alexander 96
Hancock, John 106
Henry, Patrick 107
Hopkinson, Francis 110
Intolerable Acts 111
Jay, John 112
Jay Treaty 114
Jefferson, Thomas 115
A Closer Look: The Jefferson-Hemings Paternity Debate Joseph J. Ellis 137
King, Rufus 141
Lee, Richard Henry 142
Livingston, Robert R. 143
Louisiana Purchase 144
Madison, Dolley 147
Madison, James 151
Marshall, John 158
Mason, George 164
Middleton, Arthur 166
Monroe, James 166
Morris, Gouverneur 173
Morris, Robert 175
Paine, Robert Treat 176
Paine, Thomas 176
A Closer Look: The Founding Fathers, Deism, and Christianity David L. Holmes 181
Paris, Treaty of 185
Paterson, William 186
Pinckney, Charles 187
Pinckney, Charles Cotesworth 188
Rodney, Caesar 189
Rush, Benjamin 190
Rutledge, John 192
Separation of Powers 193
Shays's Rebellion 194
Sherman, Roger 194
Stamp Act 195
Townshend Acts 196
Washington, George 197
A Closer Look: The Presidency of the United States of America Forrest McDonald 229
Whiskey Rebellion 238
Wilson, James 239
Witherspoon, John 240
Wolcott, Oliver 241
Wythe, George 241
Bibliography 243
Photo Credits 259
No comments:
Post a Comment