11thStreet's Full Review: Patrick J. Buchanan - A Republic, Not an Empire: R...
-Reads better in the original German.
-Free brown shirt included with every book.
-Now through Christmas, every Pitchfork Pat doll comes with a spiked red tail.
-Should be subtitled "Pat’s Struggle."
-Makes more sense when read in an isolation chamber.
God, it’s so much fun to make fun of Pat Buchanan, and I get just as much a kick out of it as anyone. That’s probably why everything you’ve heard about his new book goes something along those lines you read above. But once you get past the media’s natural inclination to tear down anyone they disagree with (any presidential candidate other than Bradely or McCain), you’ll see that this book is not what they would have you believe.
If this review inspires you to do nothing else, I hope it inspires you to read this book and make your own judgments. Go to the library and get it, if you don’t want to spend the money, but read it for yourself and decide whether it makes sense to you.
I picked up the book for that very reason myself. I’m no lover of Buchanan’s ideas, but after reading the poisonous ad-hominem attacks, I wanted to see just what he wrote that was so evil. And truth be told, I didn’t find it. I disagree with many of his conclusions, but I don’t think he’s crazy or evil for reaching them. Buchanan’s book simply spells out his vision of what American foreign policy should be in the post-Cold-War period. His ideas are clear, his basic assumptions reasonable, and his arguments well informed.
In a nutshell, Buchanan argues that the United States has finite military might and limited will to send its sons and daughters into battle. We have military alliances and defense agreements all over the globe, pledging the United States to go to war if any of our allies are attacked. Can we, he asks, live up to those promises? If not, how should we alter our current foreign policy to deal with that fact?
Much of the first portion of the book is devoted to the history of U.S. foreign policy, from Washington’s famous warning against "entangling alliances," to Lincoln’s deft handling of England during the Civil War, to the World Wars of the 20th century and their aftermath. He argues, persuasively, that America has best served its interests when it tends to its own back yard rather than venturing overseas looking for monsters to destroy.
After bringing us up to date on the history of our foreign policy, Buchanan next addresses the three schools of thought he sees existing in post-Cold-War America. First, he looks at the Globalists - those who believe that the concept of "nation" is obsolete and look to global organizations (like the United Nations or the WTO) to lead us into the future. Next, he turns to the "Pax Americana" crowd - those who believe that American interests should be entrusted only to Americans, but seek to impose American power across the globe. Finally, he returns home to his own camp - an American which maintains defensive strength but keeps it close to the vest, guarding against immediate and actual threats to American safety.
Buchanan ultimately concludes that this nation’s interests are served by staying out of other nations battles until and unless American becomes a target. By staying out of the fight until directly threatened, we have a chance to build up our defenses and prepare for, and hopefully avoid, war.
If you have any interest in politics, history, foreign policy, or defense issues, this book will be a good read, whether you agree with the author or not. Approach it with an open mind, and you will see that this author takes a rational, reasonable approach to U.S. foreign policy, based upon a spirit of realism and self-reliance. If nothing else, it will be fun to see the looks on your friends faces when they see what you’re reading.
Now available in paperback. All but predicting the September 11 attack on the World Trade Center, Buchanan examines and critiques America's recent for...More at Alibris
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