Review: Foreign Affairs Strategy
| Date | 01 March 2009 |
| Author | Simon Collard-Wexler |
| DOI | 10.1177/002070200906400126 |
| Published date | 01 March 2009 |
| Subject Matter | Review |
| International Journal | Winter 2008-09 | 291 |
| Reviews |
into permanent peace are the establishment of coherent states and the
emergence of liberal democracies.
On the basis of his very elegant and economic theoretical framework,
Miller proceeds to provide extremely compelling explanatory accounts of the
changing patterns of war and peace in the Middle East since the start of the
Cold War as well as in the Balkans from early in the 19th century through to
the present day. He then goes on to show the very different bases on which
South America and Europe have moved from being regions of hot war to
ones of hot peace. Historians may complain that the framework
oversimplifies the c omplexities of regional war and peace, but there is no
doubt that, in the soci al sciences, this bo ok raises the bar considerably.
Although Marxists will not be persuaded, it will have to be taken into account
by anyone wishing to address an issue that remains absolutely central to our
understanding of world politics.
Richard Little/University of Bristol
FOREIGN AFFAIRS STRATEGY
Logic for American Statecraft
Terry L. Deibel
New York: Cambridge University Press, 2007. 450pp, US$31.99 paper
(ISBN 978-0521692779)
States operate in a complex international environment. Players are multiple
and diverse, change is relentless, uncertainty is great, and risk looms. How
do state s survive and advance their interests? In
Foreign Affairs Strategy,
National War College professor Terry Deibel describes how states should craft
foreign policy to weather the tumult of international relations.
First and foremost, Deibel argues that foreign policy planning must start
with a sober assessment of the international strategic environment.
Policymakers must be aware of international structure, key actors, the balance
of power, norms, and degrees of interdependence. This assessment should be
coupled with an understanding of the domestic context. In a democracy,
public opinion may be poorly informed of international affairs, but it is also
fairly constant in its preferences and ultimately sets the parameters of foreign
policy.
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