Synopses & Reviews
The biggest threat to the United States comes not from abroad but from within. This is the provocative, timely, and unexpected message of Council on Foreign Relations President Richard N. Haasss
Foreign Policy Begins at Home.
A rising China, climate change, terrorism, a nuclear Iran, a turbulent Middle East, and a reckless North Korea all present serious challenges. But U.S. national security depends even more on the United States addressing its burgeoning deficit and debt, crumbling infrastructure, second class schools, and outdated immigration system.
Foreign Policy Begins at Home describes a twenty-first century in which power is widely diffused. Globalization, revolutionary technologies, and the rise and decline of new and old powers have created a nonpolar” world of American primacy but not domination. So far, it has been a relatively forgiving world, with no great rival threatening America directly. How long this strategic respite lasts, according to Haass, will depend largely on whether the United States puts its own house in order.
Haass argues for a new American foreign policy: Restoration. At home, the new doctrine would have the country concentrate on restoring the economic foundations of American power. Overseas, the U.S. would stop trying to remake the Middle East with military force, instead emphasizing maintaining the balance of power in Asia, promoting economic integration and energy self-sufficiency in North America, and working to promote collective responses to global challenges.
Haass rejects both isolationism and the notion of American decline. But he argues the United States is underperforming at home and overreaching abroad. Foreign Policy Begins at Home lays out a compelling vision for restoring Americas power, influence, and ability to lead the world.
Review
In
Foreign Policy Begins at Home, Richard N. Haass shows us that maintaining America's leadership in the world will require significant reforms within our own borders. Full of insight but without polemics or preachiness, it clearly demonstrates that our ability to inspire, influence, cooperate with or deter others depends upon our ability to promote shared prosperity and social progress at home.”
William Jefferson Clinton
Review
Haass delivers a cogent picture of the world and supports it with sharp and precise arguments.”
Foreign Affairs
A must read for aspiring diplomats.”
American Diplomacy
Haasss call for getting Americas domestic house in order should be listened to.”
New York Times Book Review
"Haass is one of Americas most astute foreign policy analysts. His previous 12 books are gems of wisdom and this one is no exception.... The slim volumen is an excellent primer about the world in which the US operates today.... Haass should be read by everyone."
-Choice
Haass persuasively shows that United States continues to be the indispensable nation.... Haasss writing style is straightforward and uncluttered by jargon. My academic colleagues will not find reference to hegemonic transition theories or postmodernism, which makes the book much more accessible to a wider readership.... Whether Haass chooses to run for office one day or not, a presidential candidate would do well using his realism as a platform.”
National Interest
"Deft and wise book”
The Daily Beast
[Haass] argues brilliantly
. [his] prescription says charity starts at home.” UPI.com
This informative, well-written book is a necessary addition to any collection providing either experts or citizens with new and rational discussion of Americas place in the world today.”
Library Journal
Lessons learned from the recent past and presented thoughtfully as a viable new course.”
Kirkus Reviews
Richard Haass has long been a keen observer of the US position on the world stage, and his must-read book is no exception. Haass rightly explains that if the United States is to continue fulfilling the leadership role it has had since World War II, our country must be more restrained in what it does abroad and put its house in order at home by defusing the looming fiscal debt bomb that threatens our national security and global standing.”
James A. Baker, III.
A concise, comprehensive guide to Americas critical policy choices at home and overseas. Richard Haass writes without a partisan agenda, but with a passion for solutions designed to restore our countrys strength and enable us to lead.”
Madeleine K. Albright
A perceptive diagnosis and common sense prescription for what ails us as a nation. It is a practical guide for those who believe America's continued global leadership is critical in the twenty-first century, but who believe it must be anchored in restoration at home and more effective use of all the tools of American foreign policy abroad.”
Robert M. Gates
Richard Haass is one of Americas most insightful and experienced thinkers. In Foreign Policy Begins at Home, Haass explains why our ability to wield power and influence abroad will depend on our confronting pressing challenges at home. He offers a sobering look at the domestic policies that are undermining our international competitiveness and a thoughtful roadmap for strengthening Americas position on the global stage.”
Michael R. Bloomberg
Richard N. Haass shows us that maintaining America's leadership in the world will require significant reforms within our own borders. Full of insight but without polemics or preachiness, it clearly demonstrates that our ability to inspire, influence, cooperate with or deter others depends upon our ability to promote shared prosperity and social progress at home.”
William Jefferson Clinton
Synopsis
Global terrorism. Humanitarian disasters. Environmental catastrophe. In the 21st century, the world seems in constant crisis. In
Foreign Policy Begins at Home, Council on Foreign Relations president Richard N. Haass outlines an approach to foreign policy that turns the challenge of this dysfunctional world into an opportunity for renewed American leadership.
Laying out a bold vision for how the US can come to shape world events, rather than being shaped by them, Haass argues that we must sharply limit our engagement in foreign wars and humanitarian interventions. Instead, we must focus on rebuilding our domestic institutions through getting entitlements under control, encouraging free trade, and making room for public-private partnerships.
Only by getting its own house in order can the United States reclaim its role as the primary director of global events, and maintain that role in a world of unprecedented chaos.
Synopsis
A rising China, climate change, terrorism, a nuclear Iran, a turbulent Middle East, and a reckless North Korea present serious challenges to our national security. But the biggest threat to the United States comes not from abroadbut from within. Burgeoning deficit and debt, crumbling infrastructure, second class schools, and an outdated immigration system have resulted in a country less competitive and far more vulnerable than it should be.
In Foreign Policy Begins at Home, Council on Foreign Relations President Richard N. Haass describes a twenty-first century in which power is widely diffused. Globalization, revolutionary technologies, and power shifts have created a nonpolar” world of American primacy but not domination. Still, it is a relatively forgiving world, one with no great power rival. How long this strategic respite will last, though, depends entirely on whether the United States puts its own house in order.
Haass outlines a process of Restoration that will ensure the United States has the resources it needs to lead the world, set examples other societies will want to emulate, reduce the countrys vulnerability to hostile forces and fickle markets, and discourage would-be adversaries from mounting aggression. Provocative and bold, Foreign Policy Begins at Home lays out a new vision for American Restoration. It will require hard choices, but hard choices are called for. At stake is nothing less than Americas future and the character of the coming era of history.
About the Author
Richard N. Haass has served as the president of the Council on Foreign Relations since July of 2003. Prior to that he was director of policy planning for the Department of State under George W. Bush, where he was a principal advisor to Colin Powell. He also served on the Security Council of the George H.W. Bush administration, in the State Department during the Reagan administration, and the Defense Department during the Carter Administration. He is the recipient of the State Departments Distinguished Honor Award for his contributions to the Northern Ireland peace process and the Presidential Citizens Medal for his work on US policy during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. A Rhodes Scholar and former vice president of the Brookings Institution, Haass has written or edited eleven previous books.