Renowned for his compassionate and balanced thinking on international affairs, Stanley Hoffmann reflects here on the proper place of the United States in a world it has defined almost exclusively by 9/11, the war on terrorism, and the invasion of Iraq. His analysis of the latter focuses on the misconceptions, ignorance, and incompetence of the Bush administration and shows how damaging this "war of choice" has been for America's reputation in the world. Hoffmann's perspective is uniquely informed by his place as a true global citizen-a public intellectual with one foot in Europe, the other in America. In this brilliant essay, he considers point by point the events and actions that have led America down the path of imperialism, becoming a power at once arrogant, victorious, and unilateral. Tracing the significance of 9/11 in the short term and over the long course of American history, Hoffmann explains the contradictions and the consequences for international order--and disorder.
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Editorial Reviews
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Stanley Hoffmann is America's wisest and most seasoned observer of transatlantic events. In Gulliver Unbound he delivers indispensable commentary on the hubris of America's imperial adventurism, the flaws in its approach to combating terrorism, and the future of the European-American relationship. (Power, Samantha )
Stanley Hoffmann is America's wisest and most seasoned observer of transatlantic events. In Gulliver Unbound he delivers indispensable commentary on the hubris of America's imperial adventurism, the flaws in its approach to combating terrorism, and the future of the European-American relationship. (Power, Samantha )
Gulliver Unbound can be read in one sitting and contains a great deal of wisdom, not least of which is the observation, 'Iraq has become a trap for the Americans and a godsend for terrorists.' (Johnson, Chalmers The San Diego Union-Tribune )
Gulliver Unbound can be read in one sitting and contains a great deal of wisdom, not least of which is the observation, 'Iraq has become a trap for the Americans and a godsend for terrorists.' (Johnson, Chalmers The San Diego Union-Tribune )
Throughout his distinguished career, Hoffmann has remained intellectually and personally bound to both America and France. In this engaging little book, he brings his accumulated wisdom and cosmopolitan sensibilities to bear on the current crisis in U.S.-European relations.... Full of insights—and worries. (Ikenberry, G John Foreign Affairs )
"A witheringly accurate critique of the hubris and folly of the Bush administration. Hoffmann is generally dead on target in his condemnation of the Bush administration, the conceptual idiocy of the 'war on terror,' and the wider chauvinism, ignorance, and Francophobia of the U.S. establishment and media. (Anatol Lieven American Prospect )
This little book, conceived and presented largely as a series of conversations between Hoffmann and a French former student, does not disappoint. Stanley Hoffmann's is a powerful and liberal voice in a post-September 11 American that has too often seemed bereft of such voices. (Political Science Quarterly )
Gulliver Unbound is an engrossing, critical, and provocative account of the factors that led the U.S. on the path of imperial adventurism particularly following 9/11, how this impacted U.S. relations with its NATO allies and with the rest of the world, and how it led to intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq. In conclusion, this is a splendid little book. It reflects the author's deep insight, erudition, and concern for humanity and for a sane international system. It is highly recommended for courses in international relations, comparative politics, and Middle East politics. (International Journal On World Peace )
Gulliver Unbound is an engrossing, critical, and provocative account of the factors that led the U.S. on the path of imperial adventurism particularly following 9/11, how this impacted U.S. relations with its NATO allies and with the rest of the world, and how it led to intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq. In conclusion, this is a splendid little book. It reflects the author's deep insight, erudition, and concern for humanity and for a sane international system. It is highly recommended for courses in international relations, comparative politics, and Middle East politics. (International Journal On World Peace )
Americans who wish to halt the drift toward imperialism should read this book. (Keohane, Robert O. )
Stanley Hoffmann is America's wisest and most seasoned observer of transatlantic events. In Gulliver Unbound he delivers indispensable commentary on the hubris of America's imperial adventurism, the flaws in its approach to combating terrorism, and the future of the European-American relationship. (Power, Samantha )
Gulliver Unbound can be read in one sitting and contains a great deal of wisdom, not least of which is the observation, 'Iraq has become a trap for the Americans and a godsend for terrorists.' (Johnson, Chalmers The San Diego Union-Tribune )
Gulliver Unbound can be read in one sitting and contains a great deal of wisdom, not least of which is the observation, 'Iraq has become a trap for the Americans and a godsend for terrorists.' (Johnson, Chalmers The San Diego Union-Tribune )
Throughout his distinguished career, Hoffmann has remained intellectually and personally bound to both America and France. In this engaging little book, he brings his accumulated wisdom and cosmopolitan sensibilities to bear on the current crisis in U.S.-European relations.... Full of insights—and worries. (Ikenberry, G John Foreign Affairs )
"A witheringly accurate critique of the hubris and folly of the Bush administration. Hoffmann is generally dead on target in his condemnation of the Bush administration, the conceptual idiocy of the 'war on terror,' and the wider chauvinism, ignorance, and Francophobia of the U.S. establishment and media. (Anatol Lieven American Prospect )
This little book, conceived and presented largely as a series of conversations between Hoffmann and a French former student, does not disappoint. Stanley Hoffmann's is a powerful and liberal voice in a post-September 11 American that has too often seemed bereft of such voices. (Political Science Quarterly )
Gulliver Unbound is an engrossing, critical, and provocative account of the factors that led the U.S. on the path of imperial adventurism particularly following 9/11, how this impacted U.S. relations with its NATO allies and with the rest of the world, and how it led to intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq. In conclusion, this is a splendid little book. It reflects the author's deep insight, erudition, and concern for humanity and for a sane international system. It is highly recommended for courses in international relations, comparative politics, and Middle East politics. (International Journal On World Peace )
Gulliver Unbound is an engrossing, critical, and provocative account of the factors that led the U.S. on the path of imperial adventurism particularly following 9/11, how this impacted U.S. relations with its NATO allies and with the rest of the world, and how it led to intervention in Afghanistan and Iraq. In conclusion, this is a splendid little book. It reflects the author's deep insight, erudition, and concern for humanity and for a sane international system. It is highly recommended for courses in international relations, comparative politics, and Middle East politics. (International Journal On World Peace )
Americans who wish to halt the drift toward imperialism should read this book. (Keohane, Robert O. )
About the Author
Stanley Hoffmann is the Paul and Catherine Buttenwieser University Professor at Harvard University. Frédéric Bozo is professor of contemporary history at the University of Nantes and research associate at the Institut Français des Relations Internationales.
Stanley Hoffmann is the Paul and Catherine Buttenwieser University Professor at Harvard University.
Frédéric Bozo is professor of contemporary history at the University of Nantes and research associate at the Institut Français des Relations Internationales.
Stanley Hoffmann is the Paul and Catherine Buttenwieser University Professor at Harvard University.
Frédéric Bozo is professor of contemporary history at the University of Nantes and research associate at the Institut Français des Relations Internationales.
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3 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Brilliant survey of current US foreign policy,
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This review is from: Gulliver Unbound: The Imperial Temptation and the War in Iraq (Hardcover)
Stanley Hoffmann, a Professor at Harvard University and the author of many books on international affairs, has written a very insightful book on current US foreign policy. He looks at the Franco-American dispute, the question of US imperialism, 9/11, the preparations for the attack on Iraq, the war and the subsequent occupation, and the future of the international system.
He writes that after 9/11, "the road selected by the United States was that of a declaration of `war' against terrorism, the creation of the notion of `illegal combatants', and the assimilation of states suspected of sheltering terrorists to the terrorists themselves. This was playing into their hands." He suggests, "It is time to refocus the struggle against terrorism, by giving priority to the fight against Islamic jihadists (the most dangerous for U.S. and Western interests), and by spending far more energy on a permanent solution to the Palestinian problem, along the lines almost agreed upon at Taba in 2001 and advocated by the Geneva informal alliance of Palestinians and Israelis, as well as by Jimmy Carter." He notes, "Nothing wholly good can come out of a war that resulted from a mix of self-deception and deliberate deception, waged in a part of the world in which alien control has for a long time fostered turmoil and tragedy. The presence of terrorism is not an invitation to empire, but an incentive for finding policies that reduce its appeal, and for pursuing the terrorists in ways that do not help them multiply. In the case of the Middle East, an exit from Iraq, combined with a new effort by the U.S., the U.N., the EU, and Russia to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and to create a livable Palestinian state, would mark a return to reality, to good sense, and to morality." He concludes with some sensible proposals. He writes of Iraq, "There are good reasons for calling for the end of the occupation. As in Palestine, the occupation is the main cause of the current troubles (which does not mean that they will end if we leave; but whatever we do to try to resolve the internal conflicts is likely to backfire). Continuing U.S. military control, direct or indirect, will feed anti-Americanism (as in post-1965 South Vietnam) and provide a training and breeding ground for terrorism, native and from other countries. American interests would be better served by a shift of U.S. resources toward ... the fight against al Qaeda and its allies around the world - who have become more diversified and decentralized and continue to receive manpower and support from schools and factions in officially pro-American states such as Saudi Arabia and Pakistan." We do indeed need to focus on defeating Islamic jihadists. The barbaric bombing of Londoners on Thursday 7 July is to be utterly condemned, without qualification. The inhuman fascists who carried out, or connived in, these acts, wish to push us into a dark age of unreason and fear. They will try to blame their inhumanity on others. But terrorists are responsible for their crimes and we must hold them to account. There can be no excuses given. All of us must assist to unmask these mass murderers.
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