Books about U.S. Foreign Policy

Paper Summary:

This paper explains that Stephen E. Ambrose and Loren Baritz, both respected history professors and decorated authors, present their insights into the history of foreign policy to help readers get a taste of what really happens before and during war and what the government does afterwards to repair itself. The author points out that the underlying theme in Baritz's "Back Fire" about the Vietnam war is the problem of not only not understanding the Vietnamese culture but also not understanding the change in the American culture of that period. The paper relates that Ambrose, in his book "Rise to Globalism", introduces a broader look on the history of foreign policy from World War II through the first term of the Clinton administration; he uses more statistics and facts and a lot less opinions then Baritz.

From the Paper:

"This reflects back on American culture. People try to look good, it's a given. No one wants to look bad in front of someone else, so they say the right things and do what is right. When someone does something bad, they deny it, or turn their back on it. War is a necessity, not all things can be reconciled by negotiations. So even though people know this and it's proven throughout history, they try to look good by saying war is evil and nothing good comes from it. This ties in with Baritz' saying about war and culture."

More papers on Books about U.S. Foreign Policy:

• Book Review # 50716 : "War on Terrorism"
• Analytical Essay # 59078 : "Graham Greene's "The Quiet American"
• Book Review # 112132 : "America's Relationship with China"

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