An essential book for understanding where the United States is heading and a primer for our future political leaders, Under the Eagle's Wing, provides a visionary and sound national security strategy for the new century, one in which the United States and other nations draw strength from each other. With his usual flair for sensible policy solutions, former U.S. senator and best-selling author Gary Hart offers an enlightened approach to threats such as terrorism, disease, and climate change, treating them as global problems that require global solutions. Hart speaks from experience--he served on the U.S. Commission on National Security for the 21st Century, which predicted the events of 9/11--and in this book, he not only reflects on the lessons of our post-9/11 environment but also provides a roadmap for a more secure nation and world.
This is a very brief prescription for the next administration to overhaul the U.S. foreign policy. It is surprisingly practical and can almost be described as bland. No counterintuitive or radical ideas are proposed. It is also 180° from the morons in office until 2009. I would have liked to have seen something on third-world birthrates and female empowerment and how we can contribute (low and more, respectively). These items seem critical to preventing countries that are full of unemployed and angry males. As for the U.S., college education gets a brief mention but nothing on K-12 and how it can be elevated to world-class standards. I think anti-intellectualism plays a huge part (see Susan Jacoby) along with weird boomer attitudes that privilege the child over the teacher and shortchange teacher education, and where safety trumps everything. Being under the eagle's wing is moot if the populace is dumb, scared and superstitious.
A Sane Path to the Future
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 16 years ago
Once again, Senator Hart gives a very understandable outline for a sensible national security strategy for the next president. I hope Senator Obama reads it well. This and Senator Hart's other recent books are the best, since George Kennan's work that led to the "containment policy," to clarify a role for the U.S. in the world that has a chance of working. Since the fall of the Soviet Union, the U.S. has been without a centering strategy, subjecting our country to the whims of individual presidents. This is dangerous, and Senator Hart's thinking should help the next president to adopt a unifying theme, based on our unique principles.
ThriftBooks sells millions of used books at the lowest everyday prices. We personally assess every book's quality and offer rare, out-of-print treasures. We deliver the joy of reading in recyclable packaging with free standard shipping on US orders over $15. ThriftBooks.com. Read more. Spend less.