The Wages of Globalism - Lyndon Johnson and the Limits of American Power (Paperback, New Ed)

A convincing reassessment of Lyndon Johnson's foreign policy. Although Brands (History/Texas A The Devil We Knew, 1993, etc.) admits that it is difficult to consider LBJ's record in foreign affairs without immediately thinking of the debacle in Vietnam that wrecked his presidency, that is nonetheless what he attempts to do. Coming to the Oval Office at the height of the American Century, Johnson inherited a tradition of American globalism that began with the Spanish-American War, gained momentum in WW I, and peaked after WW II, from which the United States emerged as the greatest economic and military force in the world, able to project its power around the planet. The author argues that Johnson continued in this vein and that many of his accomplishments deserve to be understood and applauded. Obsessed with Communism and the nagging question of "Who lost Cuba," Johnson intervened in Vietnam and successfully invaded the Dominican Republic, ostensibly to protect American lives but in reality to prevent a supposed Communist takeover. When the Six-Day War broke out in the Middle East, Johnson could not, as Eisenhower did in the Suez crisis of 1956, force Israel to give up territory gained. He did, however, use America's coercive influence to limit the scope and duration of the war. He suffered the snub of de Gaulle ordering US troops out of France and withdrawing from NATO, but soldiers remained in Europe and he kept the alliance together. He helped halt wars between Greece and Turkey and between India and Pakistan. In many ways, Brands offers Johnson as a transitional figure between the days of American hegemony and the current era when a multipolar world often seems to confound and stymie US foreign policy. Judicious and well researched, the volume presents a good opening in the reappraisal of Johnson and his administration. (Kirkus Reviews)

Historian H.W. Brands offers a fresh look at Johnson's handling of international relations, putting Vietnam in the context of the many crises he confronted and the outdated policies of containment he was expected to uphold. The result is a fascinating portrait of a master politician at work, manouevring through a series of successes that made his ultimate failure in Vietnam all the more tragic.

General

Imprint:	Oxford UniversityPress
Country of origin:	United States
Release date:	November 1997
First published:	April 1997
Authors:	H. W Brands (Assistant Professor of History)
Dimensions:	234 x 156 x 19mm (L x W x T)
Format:	Paperback
Pages:	304
Edition:	New Ed
ISBN-13:	978-0-19-511377-8
Categories:	Books > Humanities > History > American history > General Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > Central government > Central government policies Books > Social sciences > Politics & government > International relations > General Books > Humanities > History > World history > From 1900 > Postwar, from 1945 Books > History > American history > General Books > History > World history > From 1900 > Postwar, from 1945
LSN:	0-19-511377-2
Barcode:	9780195113778

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