The Folly of Empire

In The Folly of Empire, John B. Judis shows that history teaches valuable lessons that have allowed our leaders to avoid repeating past mistakes. Judis demonstrates how later presidents drew upon the painful lessons learned by Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson when they tried to use American power unilaterally to carve out a world in their image. Exercising leadership through international institutions and alliances, presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to George H. W. Bush and Bill...
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In The Folly of Empire, John B. Judis shows that history teaches valuable lessons that have allowed our leaders to avoid repeating past mistakes. Judis demonstrates how later presidents drew upon the painful lessons learned by Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson when they tried to use American power unilaterally to carve out a world in their image. Exercising leadership through international institutions and alliances, presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton were able to enjoy success in World War II, the Cold War, the first Gulf War, and wars in the Balkans. By ignoring these same important lessons, the George W. Bush administration has turned its own Gulf War into a quagmire of terror and ethnic conflict.
As it examines America's role in the international community--then and now--The Folly of Empire provides a sharp and compelling critique of America's current foreign policy. It also offers a direct challenge to the influential neo-conservatives who are pushing America toward an increasingly aggressive--and dangerous--place on the world stage.