Nixon-Kissinger Years: The Reshaping of American Foreign Policy [Paperback]

Richard C. Thornton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2001

From 1968 to 1976, the dominant issue of American foreign policy was attempting to formulate a response to steadily increasing Soviet military power. Yet, as a result of the mire of Watergate, clout in the area of US-Soviet relations during this period slipped from the hands of Richard Nixon to those of Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. Richard Thornton argues that Watergate was a "set up" by John Mitchell and members of the Eastern wing of the Republican Party to oust Nixon. At the heart of Thornton's examination lies the assessment of how Kissinger was able to move the United States away from Nixon's traditional containment policy to "tri-lateralism" and a greater dependence on collective security organizations. This revised and expanded edition is a major contribution to the study of foreign affairs and it also serves as an critical balance to Kissinger's own volumes of memoirs.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Like a Tom Clancy thriller or an Anthony Price mystery, intricate events unfold across great distances whether of geography or of the mind...The Nixon-Kissinger Years is a devastating commentary on the conduct of American foreign relations by Kissinger.... Vast and pointed..."-Global Affairs

About the Author

RICHARD C. THORNTON is professor of History and International Affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs of The George Washington University in Washington, D.C. A frequent commentator on current issues, Professor Thornton has served as a consultant to the U.S. Department of State, lecturer around the world for the United States Information Agency, and as a reserve officer for Air Force Intelligence, retiring as a lieutenant colonel.

Professor Thornton has written numerous books and articles on American foreign policy and international affairs, including: The Nixon-Kissinger Years: Reshaping America's Foreign Policy; China: A Political History, 1917-1980; Soviet Asian Strategy in the Brezhnev Era and Beyond; Is Detente Inevitable?; Soviet Strategy in the Vietnam War; and Detente II--SALT III: American Dream or Nightmare?

Product Details

• Paperback: 428 pages
• Publisher: Paragon House; 2 edition (October 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0887020682
• ISBN-13: 978-0887020681
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,026,776 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will change how you think about world affairs., August 4, 2002

By 

"mr_arch_stanton" (Santa Fe, New Mexico) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Nixon-Kissinger Years: The Reshaping of American Foreign Policy (Paperback)

Professor Thornton leads us through the labyrinth of foreign policy decision making during the Nixon Administration and the subsequent Kissinger "Shogunate." The reader must be prepared to think *strategically*, i.e. to consider apparently isolated events in a larger, global context. In other words, Thornton challenges us to think about world affairs just like the actual players did (and do).

Caveat: this is not a right-wing conspiracy-type book. It is a serious text on recent American and world history. People looking for a sensational ride through the subterranean passages of governmental power would probably be better off elsewhere.

Thornton does suggest explanatory models that are quasi-revolutionary, e.g. that Nixon's fall was the result of a commonplace political entrapment scheme by Kissinger, which led directly to (among other events) the fall of South Vietnam. Does that morsel sound tempting to you? The book is full of them. (I especially love Dr. Thornton's description of Watergate burglar G. Gordon Liddy - look up Liddy's name in the index to find the passage.)

Dr. Thornton is a Professor at George Washington University's School of International Affairs. He is an expert on China and its history (and he speaks several Chinese dialects). He is the "real McCoy" with a pedigree that includes a career in U.S. Air Force intelligence.