Ships from: Long Branch, NJ
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Long Branch, NJ
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: philadelphia, PA
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Chalfont, PA
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Punta Gorda, FL
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Appleton, WI
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: Bellerose Village, NY
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Ships from: New York, NY
Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Want a NOOK? Explore Now
The principal reason the twenty-first century shows such promise is that the potential for armed conflict involving today's major powers is remote. This remarkable development reflects not just U.S. military and economic might but also the assessment that much of what the United States seeks to achieve in the world has the potential to be broadly acceptable to others.
But the combination of these circumstances will not stay unchanged. Like all great moments, it will pass. If we are not careful, the world could see its energies diverted by a new cold war-or, even worse, descend into anarchy defined by terrorism, disease, the spread of nuclear weapons, genocide, and extreme poverty.
More than anything else, it will be how well and how wisely the United States uses its immense power that will determine the future. The United States does not need the world's permission to act, but it does need the world's support to succeed.
What will it take to get the world's support? The answer to this question is what makes The Opportunity truly vital reading. Richard Haass provides a much-needed foreign policy compass, one with the potential to do for this post-Cold War, post-9/11, post-Iraq world what George Kennan's containment doctrine did for the previous era.
| Ch. 1 | The opportunity to define an era | 1 |
| Ch. 2 | A little less sovereignty | 33 |
| Ch. 3 | Taking on terrorism | 51 |
| Ch. 4 | Nukes on the loose | 77 |
| Ch. 5 | Economic integration | 115 |
| Ch. 6 | The other major powers | 137 |
| Ch. 7 | Integration and the lessons of Iraq | 169 |
| Ch. 8 | The necessity | 195 |
Anonymous
Posted December 11, 2006
Richard Haass defines the opportunity to alter history¿s course as building and maintaining good relations with the other major powers, i.e., the European Union, Japan, India, China, and Russia. Haass believes that promoting democracy should not be the cornerstone of American foreign policy. He clearly states that the principal business of a ¿realist¿ American foreign policy should be foreign policy, not the domestic policy of others. Haass adds that this approach is essential to get the cooperation of both Russia and China to meet such a challenge as the proliferation of WMDs. Haass hopes that the major powers will increasingly cooperate to meet the pressing regional and global challenges of the day. However, hope is not the same as a sound foreign policy. As Haass recognizes himself at the end of the epilogue, the outlook for his ¿realist¿ foreign policy is worsening. Readers should just take a look at Iran and North Korea if they need any further convincing on this subject. The ¿realist¿ foreign policy that Haass espouses has shown its limits repeatedly. Think for instance about the splendid achievements of the appeasers of Nazi Germany before the outbreak of WWII that resulted into the death of over 50 million people. Another example that comes to mind is the cold war waged against the former Soviet Union and its lackeys. The cold war was won not through détente, but through confrontation as leaders such as President Ronald Regan and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher understood very well. The Jackson-Vanik Amendment reflected this combative approach. Access to the U.S. market should be restricted for some products and services that come from countries which are accomplices in the sinister designs of rogue states and their terrorist minions. Economic realism resonates well with (non-democratic) (mercantilist) states.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.Anonymous
Posted July 29, 2005
The Opportunity was a great book written with great clarity about current issues regarding American foreign policy. the theme of the book, which is integration, is powerfully and pragmatically presented
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.
Overview
The principal reason the twenty-first century shows such promise is that the potential for armed conflict involving today's major powers is remote. This remarkable development reflects not just U.S. military and economic might but also the assessment that much of what the United States ...