World Crisis

May 12, 2008
This anthology compiles the opinions of 20 British and American senior statesmen on how best to move toward a safer and more stable world, drawing upon contributors from across the political spectrum including Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissinger, Sam Nunn, military historian Sir Michael Howard, Michael Heseltine of the U.K. Conservative Party and journalist Simon Jenkins. Their shared consensus is that George Bush and Tony Blair legitimized unprovoked wars, departed from previous constraints and risked turning the West into international villains. Specific recommendations (and contrasting opinions) on everything from national security to global warming abound: Zbigniew Brzezinski optimistically asserts that when the U.S. and Europe are united, there is “literally nothing” they cannot do; while Simon Jenkins uses Afghanistan as a case study to condemn “liberal interventionism” root and branch. The kaleidoscopic essays illustrate editor Harvey's claim that the world is entering a new era, but how best to address this situation is anybody's guess. The attitudes and institutions of the post-WWII world may be ill-suited to the challenges of rogue states, terrorists, human rights violators and global warmers, but Harvey's best and brightest offer no more than discordant notes played on uncertain trumpets.