George Kennan and the Dilemmas of US Foreign Policy
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Oxford University Press Inc
Published:12th Jul '90
Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back
One of a select group of American foreign service officers to receive specialized training on the Soviet Union in the late 1920s and early 1930s, George Frost Kennan eventually became the American government's chief expert on Soviet affairs during the height of the Cold War. Drawing upon a wealth of original research, David Mayers' fascinating life of George Kennan examines his high-level participation in foreign policy-making and interprets his political and philosophical development within a historical framework. Mayers presents an engaging and lucid account of Kennan's training; his rise to prominence during the late 1940s and his policy failures; and his later roles as critic of America's external policy, advocate of détente with the Soviet Union, and proponent of nuclear arms limitation. Mayers also explores Kennan's complicated relationships with such important political figures and analysts as Dean Acheson, John Foster Dulles, and Walter Lippmann.
`The most cogent and complete chronicle ever written of Mr Kennan's ideas and strategic concepts.' New York Times Book Review
`Riveting ... Both the foreign policy expert and the non-specialist can learn much from this book.' Christian Science Monitor
`The fullest and best documented account to date ... He is critical of Kennan but measured in his judgements.' Times Higher Educational Supplement
`well-written analysis of George Kennan's career as a scholar-diplomat ... He has found a worthy intellectual biographer in David Mayers.' International Affairs
`Mayers ... has produced a work of careful scholarship, a conventional mix of political and intellectual biography' Alex Danchev, University of Keele, Millenium, Journal of International Studies
`The book is the fullest treatment so far of Kennan's diplomatic career and his subsequent commentary on foreign policy ... a superb book that fills in many missing details on a story whose outline is already known ... a richly detailed account of the work of an important figure. Mayers has amassed voluminous material, organized it brilliantly, written it beautifully, and offered scores of profound insights.' American Historical Review
'The book is the fullest treatment so far of Kennan's diplomatic career and his subsequent commentary on foreign policy ... a superb book that fills in many missing details on a story whose outline is already known ... a richly detailed account of the work of an important figure. Mayers has amassed voluminous material, organized it brilliantly, written it beautifully, and offered scores of profound insights.' Robert D. Schulzinger, University of Colorado, Boulder, American Historical Review
ISBN: 9780195063189
Dimensions: 229mm x 153mm x 25mm
Weight: 635g
416 pages