Join Amazon Prime and ship Two-Day for free and Overnight for $3.99. Already a member? Sign in.
Of Paradise and Power and over 300,000 other books are available for Amazon Kindle – Amazon’s new wireless reading device. Learn more

 

or
Sign in to turn on 1-Click ordering.
 
 
More Buying Choices
247 used & new from $0.01

Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
   
Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order
 
 
Start reading Of Paradise and Power on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don’t have a Kindle? Get yours here.
 
  

Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order (Hardcover)

by Robert Kagan (Author) "IT IS TIME to stop pretending that Europeans and Americans share a common view of the world, or even that they occupy the same world..." (more)
Key Phrases: strategic culture, power gap, United States, Cold War, European Union (more...)
3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (112 customer reviews)

List Price: $18.00
Price: $13.50 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details
You Save: $4.50 (25%)
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com. Gift-wrap available.

Only 3 left in stock--order soon (more on the way).

Want it delivered Wednesday, July 15? Choose One-Day Shipping at checkout. Details
50 new from $0.99 184 used from $0.01 13 collectible from $14.00
Also Available in: List Price: Our Price: Other Offers:
Kindle Edition (Kindle Book) $9.56
Paperback $11.95 $9.56 152 used & new from $0.01
Audio Download (Audible.com) $19.95 $10.48

Best Value

Buy Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order and get The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11 at an additional 5% off Amazon.com's everyday low price.

Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order + The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11
Buy Together Today: $32.31

Show availability and shipping details

  • This item: Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details

  • The Looming Tower: Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11

    In Stock.
    Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
    Eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25. Details


Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

The Return of History and the End of Dreams (Vintage)

The Return of History and the End of Dreams (Vintage)

by Robert Kagan
4.1 out of 5 stars (38)  $10.19
Dangerous Nation: America's Foreign Policy from Its Earliest Days to the Dawn of the Twentieth Century (Vintage)

Dangerous Nation: America's Foreign Policy from Its Earliest Days to the Dawn of the Twentieth Century (Vintage)

by Robert Kagan
4.2 out of 5 stars (28)  $11.53
The Post-American World

The Post-American World

by Fareed Zakaria
4.2 out of 5 stars (224)  $10.15
The United States of Europe: The New Superpower and the End of American Supremacy

The United States of Europe: The New Superpower and the End of American Supremacy

by T.R. Reid
3.8 out of 5 stars (79)  $10.88
Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945

Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945

by Tony Judt
3.8 out of 5 stars (67)  $13.60
Explore similar items

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
From its opening-line salvo—"It is time to stop pretending that Europeans and Americans share a common view of the world, or even that they occupy the same world"—Of Paradise and Power announces a new phase in the relationship between the United States and Europe. Robert Kagan begins this illuminating essay by laying out the general differences as he sees them: the U.S. is quicker to use military force, less patient with diplomacy, and more willing to coerce (or bribe) other nations in order to get a desired result. Europe, on the other hand, places greater emphasis on diplomacy, takes a much longer view of history and problem solving, and has greater faith in international law and cooperation. Kagan does not view these differences as the result of innate national character, but as a time-honored historical reality--the U.S. is merely behaving like the powerful nation it is, just as the great European nations once did when they ruled the world. Now, Europe must act multilaterally because it has no choice. The "UN Security Council is a substitute for the power they lack," he writes.

Kagan also emphasizes the inherent ironies present in the relationship. European nations have enjoyed an "American security guarantee" for nearly 60 years, allowing them to cut back on defense spending while criticizing the U.S. for not doing the same. Yet Europe relies upon the U.S. for protection. This has led America and Europe to view the same threats much differently, as evidenced by the split over how to deal with Iraq and Saddam Hussein. Kagan points out that some European leaders are more afraid of how the U.S. will wield its power in the Middle East than they are of the thought of Hussein or other "rogue state" leaders acquiring weapons of mass destruction.

Kagan’s brevity is as impressive as it is appreciated; most writers would have required thrice as many pages to get to their point. At any length, the book is nothing short of brilliant. This is essential reading for those seeking to understand the post-Cold War world. --Shawn Carkonen

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Cogent and important best describe this slim book, its lack of vast pages belying the weightiness of its message. This is an expanded version of an essay originally published as "Power and Weakness" in the June/July 2002 issue of Policy Review, written by the senior associate at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, who is also a columnist for the Washington Post. The article created such a stir that a book-length expansion proved necessary for a wider readership. Tight, rigorous reasoning stands behind Kagan's cold analysis of the growing disparity between U.S and European views of the post-cold war world and how best to achieve peace and order. The lack of agreement is based primarily on opposing beliefs concerning the "proper balance between the use of force and the use of diplomacy in international affairs." Europe, as Kagan points out, is economically strong but militarily weak, while the U.S. is strong on both fronts. How to settle the world's problems is seen very differently, then, depending on whether one is negotiating from strength or from weakness. Further, the author avers that American military power has "made it possible for Europeans to believe that [military] power [is] no longer important." Controversial arguments, certainly, but this book deserves to be read by all conscientious citizens. Brad Hooper
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

  • Hardcover: 112 pages
  • Publisher: Knopf; 1 edition (January 28, 2003)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 1400040930
  • ISBN-13: 978-1400040933
  • Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.1 x 0.5 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (112 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.com Sales Rank: #400,099 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Inside This Book (learn more)



Books on Related Topics (learn more)
 
 

What Do Customers Ultimately Buy After Viewing This Item?


Tags Customers Associate with This Product

 (What's this?)
Click on a tag to find related items, discussions, and people.
Check the boxes next to the tags you consider relevant or enter your own tags in the field below.

Your tags: Add your first tag
 
Help others find this product — tag it for Amazon search
No one has tagged this product for Amazon search yet. Why not be the first to suggest a search for which it should appear?

 

Customer Reviews

112 Reviews
5 star:
 (38)
4 star:
 (29)
3 star:
 (21)
2 star:
 (8)
1 star:
 (16)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (112 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
46 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Important ... and mostly true, March 28, 2003
By Eric J. Lyman (Roma, Lazio Italy) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)      
As an American citizen who writes about European affairs and is based in Europe, I have always felt able to understand the cultures that dominate either side of the Atlantic better than most, which is one reason why I was so eager to read Of Paradise and Power. It's a thin volume and presented in a straightforward way that is easy to read (i.e., it's not just for policy wonks and Ph.D. candidates) and which packs a powerful punch. For anyone looking to understand the increasingly obvious differences between the two parts of the world, this book is obligatory.

Kagan's basic premise is that the two power bases have long been more different than either was willing to admit (mostly in terms of the relative reliance on force vs. diplomacy), and that the differences were masked by the Cold War rather than a product of the conclusion of it, and that is a point he backs up well. In fact, if one remembers that these words were based on a Policy Review essay written in the middle of last year -- before the current crisis between the U.S. and Germany/France -- the author's insight seems even greater.

My criticisms of the book come from part of the conclusion Kagan makes. He says, for example, that the difficulties between the U.S. and Europe would have shown themselves no matter who was in charge and no matter what else happened in the world, yet I cannot believe that is true. Would a more cosmopolitan and diplomatic team in the White House have so easily galvanized European anti-Americanism? If Sept. 11 not happened, would the situation have boiled over so quickly? Would Schroeder have been so vocally anti-American if he had not faced re-election as the Iraq problems started to develop? Would Chirac have taken such a strong stance if he did not feel France's power slipping in other areas? At times, the conclusion Kagan draws seems to show some of the eagerness for simple explanations to complex problems that he criticizes elsewhere.

Also, I find the price for such a slim volume more than a bit high, and the opportune release of the book at a moment when the Atlantic divide dominates the world's editorial pages is a testament to Alfred A. Knopf's business acumen.

But none of that is a reason to skip this important book. The tome is full of meaty ideas to chew on, and in speaking with friends involved in politics on both sides of the Atlantic, I can attest to the powerful impact that Kagan's ideas are having. It is a must read for anyone looking to understand the events shaping the western world ... or even those simply looking to participate in cocktail party conversation with those who are.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
49 of 57 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars An interesting, selective, view of transatlantic relations, August 31, 2003
By N. Tsafos (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   
In this short book, an elaboration of an article written for Policy Review, Robert Kagan puts forward the following thesis: Europe has entered a Kantian world of perpetual peace where tension is resolved via diplomacy and institutions, while Americans occupy a Hobbesian world where force is the only path to conflict resolution and stability.

The book builds on this idea and discusses the familiar arguments about military spending and the differing views on multilateralism and international law that separate American from Europe. At the same time, Mr. Kagan suggests an original idea to explain the split in the West: the European Union, he argues, is predicated on the notion that institutions can resolve deep historical conflicts; if European were to accept the Hobbesian view, Mr. Kagan argues, they would deny the revolutionary nature of their project, as well as its implications for other regions of the world.

Still, this book is selective: there is little mention of Somalia, where Americans withdrew to avoid casualties, or Rwanda, where French forces moved in before UN peacekeepers. The British intervention in Sierra Leone and the French one in Cote d'Ivoire are similar examples of the European attitude to force, which hardly coincide with Mr. Kagan's view.

Mr. Kagan has argued, in essence, that the Europeans lack the collective capacity to act; but their attitude to power might not be as scornful as Mr. Kagan suggests. Still, it is impossible to study the relationship between Europe and America, and their respective roles in the world today, without reading this book.

Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
30 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for those interested in international politics, April 24, 2003
By Glenn Miller (Minneapolis, MN USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)      
It doesn't matter what political stripe you wear, Kagan's book is a fascinating look at current-day international politics. Kagan presents a wonderfully logical argument about the relationship between Europe and America. And while he doesn't necessarily present any information that is new or surprising, he does help connect the dots in a manner that makes most readers go, "Aha!" Kagan's writing style is very user-friendly, unusual in a field known for its clunky style and obscure historical references (Thomas Friedman notwithstanding). He uses wonderful anecdotes and analogies to help paint his picture of the differences in the ways that America and Europe view world-wide threats (A bear roaming in the woods is viewed differently by a man with a rifle as opposed to a man with a knife). And given these acknowledged differences, is it any wonder that America and Europe increasingly find conflict over the way we resolve these problems? America wants to quickly solve the problems with arms (we have lots of over-powering weapons and a strong distaste for any American deaths); Europe would much rather discuss the problems over time and come to a non-conflict resolution (they don't have the weapons and have come to appreciate the power of discussion). As a dyed-in-the-wool liberal, one who attended the numerous spring anti-war demonstrations throughout my hometown, I now look at the world in a different way after reading this fine book -- and what could be a better compliment to any author? And while I continue to feel America's heavy-handed approach is ultimately wrong, this book has given me a more balanced perception of the way things work.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

2.0 out of 5 stars Neo-Con Rhetoric for the most part
Essentially, Kagan's contention in his work "Of Paradise and Power" is that United States policy or political philosophy, at least on the international stage is dictated by power... Read more
Published 10 days ago by M. Doughty

5.0 out of 5 stars Powerful
"Powerful" is an apt discriptor of this book which deals so exclusively with power in international relations: who has it? who uses it? how should it be used? Read more
Published 2 months ago by Christopher Toppings

5.0 out of 5 stars U.S. is from Mars, Europe is from Venus
If you are one of the hundreds of millions who found Dr. John Gray's deconstruction of Eros in his opus, "Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus" groundbreaking, prepare yourself... Read more
Published 3 months ago by Cody Trojan

4.0 out of 5 stars The book ends with an unexpected conclusion. Provides insight into past and current American foreign policy
Great read. With its suggestive title, one would expect that this book, which was written at the midpoint of the Bush Administration (2003), would be limited to providing a... Read more
Published 3 months ago by J. Diaz

1.0 out of 5 stars Does the transatantic countries have monopoly of global power in the 21st century?
Robert Kagan's book 'Of Paradise and power' is a mere narrative of historical relations between the United States and Europe. Ironically, Dr. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Gautam Maitra

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Keagan
As usual, great perception and excellent writing. There is much in this book to guide future political decisions such as recognition that the world is no longer monopolar. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Bill W. Baker

1.0 out of 5 stars Of Paradise and Power: America and Europe in the New World Order
Blatant distortion, historically ignorant, and inaccurate. From the opening pages the reader is treated to partisan, agenda driven rhetoric straight from the Bush White House. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Victor Rodriguez

5.0 out of 5 stars America is from Mars, Europe is from Venus
In a sense much of what Kagan says in this work has been obvious for some time. The U.S. is the great power of the world constantly intervening throughout the world. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Shalom Freedman

4.0 out of 5 stars A Provocative Essay That Deserves to be Heard
"America's cause is the cause of mankind," Benjamin Franklin once said.

As the most powerful nation in the post-Evil-Empire World Order, will America stop pretending... Read more
Published 21 months ago by Peter Porcupine

2.0 out of 5 stars Welcome to the desert of the neocon
This book is useful for insight into the thinking of neoconservatives, but has little to do with the real world. Read more
Published on May 12, 2007 by bjcefola

Only search this product's reviews



Customer Discussions

 Beta (What's this?)
New! See all customer communities, and bookmark your communities to keep track of them.
This product's forum (0 discussions)
  Discussion Replies Latest Post
  No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
  [Cancel]


   


Product Information from the Amapedia Community

Beta (What's this?)



Look for Similar Items by Category


Cut Wood Down to Size

Cut Wood Down to Size

Split wood with ease using a log splitter from the Outdoor Power & Lawn Equipment Store.

Shop all log splitters

 

Best Books of 2008

Best of 2008
Find our top 100 editors' picks as well as customers' favorites in dozens of categories in our Best Books of 2008 Store.
 

Dive into Summer Reading

Summer Reading for Kids and Teens
Don't even think about hitting the beach without browsing the books in our Summer Reading Store. Discover bestsellers, paperback picks, beach reads, and more terrific titles all summer long.
 

Give Your Rake a Break

Shop for Leaf Blowers
If you need to move a lot of leaves, a handheld or backpack blower helps get the job done quickly.

Shop all blowers

 

 

Feedback

If you need help or have a question for Customer Service, contact us.
 Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
Is there any other feedback you would like to provide?

Your comments can help make our site better for everyone.


Where's My Stuff?

Shipping & Returns

Need Help?

Your Recent History

  (What's this?)
You have no recently viewed items or searches.

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.

Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.

Continue shopping: Top Sellers
Paranoia
Paranoia by Joseph Finder
My Soul to Lose
My Soul to Lose by Rachel Vincent
Glenn Beck's Common Sense
Glenn Beck's Common Sense

Conditions of Use | Privacy Notice © 1996-2009, Amazon.com, Inc. or its affiliates