Seeing the Elephant
The U.S. Role in Global Security
Published on 1. November 2006
Book
Paperback/Softback
336 pages
978-1-59797-100-3 (ISBN)
Description
What is the current state of the global security system, and where is it headed? What challenges and opportunities do we face, and what dangers are emerging? How will various regions of the world be affected? How can the United States best act to help shape the future while protecting its security, interests, and values? How can the United States deal with the threats of terrorism and weapons of mass destruction? An intellectual history of U.S. national security thinking since the end of the fall of the Soviet Union, Seeing the Elephant is an attempt to see the evolving international security system and America's role in it through the eyes of more than fifty perceptive authors who have analyzed key aspects of the unfolding post-Cold War drama. Its premise is that, like the blind men in the Buddhist fable who each feels a different part of an elephant, these authors and their assessments, taken together, can give us a better view of where the world is headed.
Reviews / Votes
"Drs. Binnendijk and Kugler have rendered a genuine intellectual service by their comprehensive appraisal of the most significant contemporary literature on geostrategic issues. Their volume should be of enormous value not only to students and academics but especially to policymakers. It provides an incisive overview of the main directions of America's strategic thought." - Zbigniew Brzezinski, former national security adviser to President Jimmy Carter "The sudden collapse of the Soviet Union caught most experts by surprise. The ensuing changes in the global landscape have been as surprising and unexpected as the end of the Cold War itself. This extraordinary book is perhaps the best synthesis of the intellectual efforts aimed at making sense of this new world and at distilling its consequences for decisionmakers. Seeing the Elephant is bound to become an indispensable reference for many years to come." - Moises Naim, editor in chief, Foreign Policy "Seeing the Elephant is a terrific and timely book. It is the ideal starting point for anyone interested in national security strategy who does not have time to digest the more than fifty books summarized and distilled here. Better yet, the authors have provided a clear and accessible analytical framework that will help readers identify and remember the big ideas and important debates in the national security literature past, present, and future." - Anne-Marie Slaughter, dean, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University"More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Dulles
United States
Target group
College/higher education
Product notice
Paperback (trade)
Dimensions
Height: 227 mm
Width: 162 mm
Thickness: 22 mm
Weight
449 gr
ISBN-13
978-1-59797-100-3 (9781597971003)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Persons
Richard L. Kugler is Distinguished Research Professor at CTNSP. His many publications include Policy Analysis for National Security Affairs: New Methods for a New Era. Dr. Kugler lives in the Washington, D.C. area.
Content
Preface and Acknowledgments; Chapter One: Introduction; Chapter Two: A Neo-Kantian World of Progress; Chapter Three: A Neo-Hobbesian World of Turmoil; Chapter Four: A New Age of Empowerment; Chapter Five: U.S. National Security Goals and Constraints; Chapter Six: U.S. Defense Strategies; Chapter Seven: Seeing the Elephant; Biographies of Authors Reviewed; About the Authors; Notes.