Synopses & Reviews
Rarely have more profound changes in American foreign policy been called for than today,” begins Amitai Etzioni in the preface to this book. Yet Etzionis concern is not to lay blame for past mistakes but to address the future: What can now be done to improve U.S. relations with the rest of the world?
What should American policies be toward recently liberated countries such as Iraq and Afghanistan, or rogue states like North Korea and Iran? When should the United States undertake humanitarian intervention abroad? What must be done to protect America from nuclear terrorism? The author asserts that providing basic security must be the first priority in all foreign policy considerations, even ahead of efforts to democratize. He sets out essential guidelines for a foreign policy that makes sense in the real world, builds on moral principles, and creates the possibility of establishing positive relationships with Muslim nations and all others.
Etzioni has considered the issues deeply and for many years. His conclusions fall into no neat categoriesneither liberal” nor conservative”for he is guided not by ideology but by empirical evidence and moral deliberation. His proposal rings with the sound of reason, and this important book belongs on the reading list of every concerned leader, policy maker, and voter in America.
Review
"In exploring the global prehistory of the horrific forms of societal violence usually associated with the twentieth century, Kiernan identifies key factors that have been consistently associated with genocidal episodes. His book makes an original contribution to our understanding of the phenomenon."Michael Adas, Rutgers University
-- Publishers Weekly
Review
“Ben Kiernans
Blood and Soil is a major work explaining myths and metaphors that have underwritten genocide for six hundred yearsearlier within the bowels of the western tradition; now commonplace practice far beyond that tradition. In seeing genocide as linked to issues of land as well as race, nation, and expansion, Kiernan has opened up social, political, and economic analysis to the struggle for land and the control of property. Such an approach is unique as it is provocative. It is inspired by the authors profound reading of Cambodia and Southeast Asia.
Blood and Soil provides an angle of vision rarely found in those who start (and stop) with a European base of scholarship. The book opens up new questions and formulations on the nature of state inspired murder. It merits a close reading of the dark side of terror, often commented upon, but rarely probed.”Irving Louis Horowitz, Rutgers University
-- Michael Adas
Review
"Blood and Soil is a stunning achievement. The idea for the project was clearly a prompting of the heart, but the argument itself is a thing of pure intellect. It surveys thousands of years, visits every corner of the world, and stares with scarcely a blink at the worst horrors the world has ever known. As an act of scholarship, it simply stands alone.”Kai Erikson, Yale University
-- Irving Louis Horowitz
Review
“Ben Kiernans book is a major contribution to genocide studies a first attempt to tell the history of genocidal events, from Sparta to DarfurBlood and Soil is a well-researched, detailed account of many instances of mass killings and the reasons for their occurrence. It will no doubt give rise to controversy, new research, and new insights.”Yehuda Bauer, Yad Vashem -- Kai Erikson
Review
"This grim account of history notes remarkable parallels in the patterns of mass slaughter, from Carthage to Darfur. With references to the genocides sanctioned by the Bible, its ghastly reading. Yet you also cant help feeling a measure of progress over the centuries."Nicholas D. Kristof, New-York Historical Society series "Books That Matter," New York Times Book Review -- Yehuda Bauer
Review
"Both because of [Kiernans] academic credentials and the scope of the work Blood and Soil is a must-read book. . . . [it] should be read by anyone who wants to get a better handle to the historical scope of genocide."J.D. Bowers, E-Wareness!, Genocide and Human Rights Institute -- Nicholas D. Kristof - New York Times Book Review
Review
“. . . the first synthetic, single-authored global history to connect state power and formation to violence through the willful extermination and attempted extermination of peoples. Its reach is not only global, it is also temporal, as the book examines violence through time.”--Audra Simpson,
Journal of Asian Studies
-- Sarah Abrevaya Stein - Association of Jewish Studies Review
Review
"Kiernan here offers a beautifully written study that is both global and historical. . . .
Blood and Soil represents a major advancement in the comparative study of genocide that will demand the attention of all scholars of political violence."--Audra, Simpson,
The Review of Politics -- Audra Simpson - Journal of Asian Studies
Review
"Genocide scholars and those with an interest in world history should be grateful for Kiernans latest stimulating work."--Donald W. Beachler,
Holocaust and Genocide Studies -- Audra Simpson - The Review of Politics
Review
"
Blood and Soil is more than another work of history--it is a tool for waging peace."-
-Air Force Research Institute -- Donald W. Beachler - Holocaust and Genocide Studies
Review
"Etzionis argument is a breath of fresh air in the current debate. Compared to most of his colleagues on the left, he is both more hard-headed about security and more understanding of the critical role of religion and moral culture in maintaining social order without violence. This book is a must read."Henry Nau, Professor of Political Science and International Affairs at the Elliott School of International Affairs, George Washington University
-- Luke Harley - Classical Music
Review
"Etzioni offers a far ranging alternative perspective for the formulation and conduct of U.S. foreign policy.
Security First offers to be an outstanding and important work."James J. Wirtz, Department of National Security Affairs at the Naval Postgraduate School
-- Henry Nau
Review
"After foreign policy disasters from Rwanda to 9-11 to the Iraq War, alternatives to realist, liberal, and neoconservative shibboleths are desperately needed. Learned but accessible, sweeping yet detailed,
Security First offers a distinctive approach that can help America forge a new path."Clifford Bob, author of
The Marketing of Rebellion: Insurgents, Media, and International Activism, Winner of the 2007 International Studies Best Book Award
-- James J. Wirtz
Review
"An important, must-read book for the rising leadership in the United States, as it prepares for the crucial 2008 elections, a time for a change from the status quo, and for Americas friends around the world."Shuja Nawaz, former Division Chief, International Monetary Fund, former Director, International Atomic Energy Agency, and author of Crossed Swords: Pakistan, Its Army, and the War Within -- Clifford Bob
Review
"An excellent book. . . .
Security First argues that the U.S. should give first priority to exporting security, not democracy. A smart, ethical rejoinder to the neocons."Jonathan Rauch, writer-in-residence at The Brookings Institution and correspondent for
The Atlantic Monthly -- Shuja Nawaz
Review
"Etzionis new book is . . . enjoyable (because it is well written), but also frustrating reading (because it convincingly shows how wrong some widely held assumptions are) for all those interested in most crucial issues of world affairs."Rein Mullerson, International History Review -- Jonathan Rauch
Review
“The Peacekeeping Economy is a vital book at a critical time, and a must read for policy- and decision-makers everywhere—indeed, for anyone who cares about the absolute, practical necessity of a humane future. It is brilliantly reasoned, passionately written, definitive. Not since Seymour Melman has the case for demilitarized security and consequent economic promise been so well made.”—Burns H. Weston, Bessie Dutton Murray Distinguished Professor of Law Emeritus and Senior Scholar, Center for Human Rights, The University of Iowa
Synopsis
For thirty years Ben Kiernan has been deeply involved in the study of genocide and crimes against humanity. He has played a key role in unearthing confidential documentation of the atrocities committed by the Khmer Rouge. His writings have transformed our understanding not only of twentieth-century Cambodia but also of the historical phenomenon of genocide. This new bookthe first global history of genocide and extermination from ancient timesis among his most important achievements.
Kiernan examines outbreaks of mass violence from the classical era to the present, focusing on worldwide colonial exterminations and twentieth-century case studies including the Armenian genocide, the Nazi Holocaust, Stalins mass murders, and the Cambodian and Rwandan genocides. He identifies connections, patterns, and features that in nearly every case gave early warning of the catastrophe to come: racism or religious prejudice, territorial expansionism, and cults of antiquity and agrarianism. The ideologies that have motivated perpetrators of mass killings in the past persist in our new century, says Kiernan. He urges that we heed the rich historical evidence with its telltale signs for predicting and preventing future genocides.
Synopsis
Immanuel Kants views on politics, peace, and history have lost none of their relevance since their publication more than two centuries ago. This volume contains a comprehensive collection of Kants writings on international relations theory and political philosophy, superbly translated and accompanied by stimulating essays.
Pauline Kleingeld provides a lucid introduction to the main themes of the volume, and three essays by distinguished contributors follow: Jeremy Waldron on Kants theory of the state; Michael W. Doyle on the implications of Kants political theory for his theory of international relations; and Allen W. Wood on Kants philosophical approach to history and its current relevance.
Synopsis
The idea that military strength is virtually synonymous with security is deeply entrenched and widely held. But while the threat or use of military force may sometimes be necessary, it cannot keep us as safe as we would be by building relationships that replace hostility with a sense of mutual purpose and mutual gain. Economic relationships, says Lloyd J. Dumas, can offer a far more effective, and far less costly, means of maintaining security. After defining the right kind of economic relationship—one that is balanced and nonexploitative, emphasizes development, and minimizes environmental damage—Dumas then addresses some practical concerns in establishing and maintaining these relationships. He also considers the practical problems of the transition from military-based security arrangements to "economic peacekeeping," and the effects of demilitarized security on economic development and prosperity.
About the Author
Pauline Kleingeld is professor of philosophy, Leiden University, The Netherlands.
David L. Colclasure is assistant professor and head of the German Studies Program at the Monterey Institute of International Studies.
Michael W. Doyle is Harold Brown Professor at Columbia University in the School of International and Public Affairs and Columbia Law School.
Jeremy Waldron is University Professor and director of the Center for Law and Philosophy, Columbia University.
Allen W. Wood is Ward W. and Priscilla B. Woods Professor at Stanford University.