The Illusion of Control: Force and Foreign Policy in the Twenty-First Century [Paperback]

Seyom Brown (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2003

This provocative book assesses the implications of a disturbing trend in U.S. security policy: an increased willingness to use military force as an instrument of diplomacy. In The Illusion of Control, Seyom Brown shows how U.S. officials are relying on force to counter a wide range of threats to Americas global interestseclipsing previous strategies that restricted the use of military force to situations in which the countrys vital interests were at stake. Brown points out that a disposition to employ military power broadly as an instrument of diplomacy was on the rise well before September 11, 2001 and it shows every sign of persisting into the future. While resorting to force may seem to be a reliable way to establish control over a disorderly world, Brown cautions that expecting to gain and maintain control through military prowess could turn out to be a dangerous illusion. In fact, employing new military technologies in an effort to control international terrorist activities, wars, and civil conflicts is likely to pull the United States into excessive commitments and imprudent action. Brown analyzes the growing willingness of U.S. government officials to use force, then critically assesses the strategic, political, and moral implications for the United States. Adapting traditional just war concepts to contemporary strategic, political, and technological realities, he offers a set of guidelines to help ensure that use-of-force decisions are approached with the judicious care and gravity they warrant.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Seyom Brown is Lawrence A. Wien Professor of International Cooperation in the Department of Politics at Brandeis Univesity. He has held senior research and policy analysis positions at the RAND Corporation, the Brookings Institution, and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 96 pages
• Publisher: Brookings Inst Pr (June 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0815702639
• ISBN-13: 978-0815702634
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,085,474 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Warning of the consequences of the overuse of brute force, August 9, 2003

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Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Illusion of Control: Force and Foreign Policy in the Twenty-First Century (Paperback)

A work of impressive scholarship by Seyom Brown (Professor of International Cooperation in the Department of Politics, Brandeis University), The Illusion Of Control: Force And Foreign Policy In The 21st Century is a informed and informative survey and analysis of the usage and impact of force in world politics as a crisis reaction, and the dangers of mistakenly estimating the ever-changing nature of war itself in today's volatile and confusing world. A cautionary presentation warning of the consequences of the overuse of brute force as a first resort, The Illusion Of Control is a timely and welcome contribution to the contemporary national dialogue regarding American foreign policy and the role of a military-based diplomacy in our now global efforts in the war against terrorism.