The Middle Way: How Three Presidents Shaped America's Role in the World

by Derek Chollet

Overview

A portrait of the effectiveness of moderation in US foreign policy, as illustrated by three of America's most consequential and widely-admired postwar presidents: Dwight Eisenhower, George H.W. Bush, and Barack Obama.

When thinking about America's role in the world, Dwight Eisenhower, George H. W. Bush, and Barack Obama may not seem to have a lot in common. But they do. While divided by background, generation, and political party, they exemplify a distinct and underappreciated tradition of American leadership: The Middle Way. As the scholar and former senior foreign policy official Derek Chollet shows in this deeply researched book, these three presidents took a centrist — and effective — approach to foreign policy. With so many challenges facing the United States, Chollet makes the case for why the nation must reclaim this brand of leadership, learn from it, and champion it.

This timely book blends history, politics and biography to reveal how these presidents viewed the world and approached the task of leadership. By providing behind-the-scenes accounts and incisive analysis of the foreign policies of Ike, Bush 41, and Obama, The Middle Way offers a fresh way of thinking about American power. It shows how these three leaders defined a foreign policy archetype too often obscured by partisan blinders and historical amnesia. With vivid story-telling and astute insights, Chollet makes a compelling argument for how we should remember the past, think about the present, and approach the policy challenges of tomorrow.

Eisenhower, Bush, and Obama demonstrated how the United States can exercise prudent and powerful authority in the world, and they stand as exemplars of decency, humility, optimism, confidence, and pragmatism. Together, they set the bar for the kind of global leadership needed today — and The Middle Way reminds both Americans and the world that this proud legacy not only persists, but is needed more than ever.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780190092887
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	01/28/2021
Pages:	256
Product dimensions:	9.40(w) x 6.10(h) x 1.10(d)

About the Author

Derek Chollet served in senior positions in the Obama Administration at the White House, State Department, and Pentagon, most recently as US Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs. Currently the Executive Vice President of the German Marshall Fund of the United States, he is also a visiting scholar at the University of Pennsylvania's Perry World House. A frequent commentator on US foreign policy and politics, his previous books include The Long Game: How Obama Defied Washington and Redefined America's Role in the World, America between the Wars: From 11/9 to 9/11 (co-authored with James Goldgeier) and The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke in the World (co-edited with Samantha Power).

Table of Contents

Preface: Three PresidentsIntroduction: The Middle WayChapter One: WorldviewChapter Two: StrategyChapter Three: CrisisChapter Four: PoliticsChapter Five: LegacyAcknowledgmentsNotesSelected Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

"Eisenhower, Bush Sr., and Obama - besides being perhaps the un-Trumpiest presidents ever - exemplified a way of thinking about American leadership in the world that seems ripe for the resurrecting, according to Derek Chollet in this fascinating new book. If nothing else, read it to remember that pragmatism, expertise, and careful decision-making were once welcomed in the Oval Office." — Susan Glasser, staff writer for The New Yorker and co-author of The Man Who Ran Washington: The Life and Times of James A. Baker III

"An important, timely, elegant, and provocative work of diplomatic history from one of the finest thinkers and practitioners of his generation. If Americans are ever to find their way again in the world, this book is an essential starting point." — William J. Burns, President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State

"As welcome and timely as it is rigorous and insightful, this complex and incisive history is the very definition of a usable past; we can all benefit from reading it." — Richard H. Immerman, Temple University

"The values of moderation, prudence, and judgment that characterize the 'Middle Way' internationalism of Eisenhower, Bush Sr., and Obama have been given short shrift by analysts and historians with a weakness for bold ideology. In this cogent, clear-eyed, and important book, Chollet does more than uncover hidden links between these three like-minded presidents; he wins the argument that for all of their shortcomings, this common-sense approach is a superior way to conduct American foreign policy." — Jonathan Alter, author of His Very Best: Jimmy Carter, a Life

"Few writers would have the temerity to examine the disparate personalities and careers of Eisenhower, Bush Sr., and Obama. Yet in this elegantly written book Chollet vividly highlights a common set of values, attitudes, and policies that served the country well. As Americans assess their presidential aspirants going forward, Chollet offers us an arresting prism to think about our past and envision our future." — Melvyn P. Leffler, University of Virginia

"Because moderate policies are not flashy, they are often underrated. But as Chollet shows in his thoughtful, well-researched study, even if they are messy, they often do a better job of coping with a complex and changing world than do the starker alternatives." — Robert Jervis, Columbia University

"A book for foreign-policy wonks to debate and cherish." — Kirkus

From the Publisher

2020-09-29
Which presidents of recent times have been most successful in international affairs?

Chollet, executive vice president of the German Marshall Fund, suggests that three recent presidents exhibited a sensible approach to foreign policy: Dwight Eisenhower, George H.W. Bush, and Barack Obama (the author served in multiple senior positions with the Obama administration). “These three leaders,” writes the author, “demonstrated how the United States can exercise prudent and powerful leadership in the world and stand as pillars of de­cency, humility, and strength.” Each of them represented a fundamentally conservative approach. None was quick to reach for military solutions, but none shied from them, either, and all three focused on keeping a balance between foreign and domestic commitments. Chollet’s book, while not belaboring the point, stands as a rebuke to Trump’s handling of allies and enemies alike. In the place of his wild inconsistencies and angry bluster, Eisenhower, Bush, and Obama exhibited a keen awareness that what Eisenhower called “the Middle Way” was the place where progress might be slow but the real battles were to be fought, and all three sought to rein in the “arrogance of power” that so characterizes the current president. Chollet notes that although Obama has been scourged as a radical leftist, his policies, particularly foreign policy, were framed in terms that Eisenhower and Bush would have endorsed. The author tests his thesis on six crises, two apiece, that the three presidents faced and met with that middle-way policy, including Obama’s dealings with the Assad regime in Syria: “While Obama wanted to get rid of Assad, he did not want the United States to be on the hook to do it.” Obama further opposed the war in Iraq but wanted to focus closely on fighting terrorists in Afghanistan. Bush denounced “America First”–ism. Chollet’s thesis is too often stated and restated, but his conclusions are worth holding in mind as one evaluates presidential performance.

A book for foreign-policy wonks to debate and cherish.

Kirkus Reviews