A century ago, the Theodore Roosevelt administration believed building an American empire was the only way the U.S. could ensure its role in the world, but came to see the occupation of the Philippines as America's "heel of Achilles." Woodrow Wilson, shocked by the failure of American intervention in Mexico and by the outbreak of World War I, came to see imperialism as the underlying cause of war and set about trying to create an international system to eliminate empires. But, the current Bush administration, despite the lessons of the past, has revived the older dreams of American empire--under the guise of democracy--even touting the American experience in the Philippines as a success upon which the United States could build in attempting to transform the Middle East. With The Folly of Empire, John B. Judis shows that history can teach us lessons and allow political leaders, if sensitive to history, to change their strategy in order to avoid past mistakes. Judis shows how presidents from Franklin Roosevelt to Bill Clinton drew upon what Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson learned about the pitfalls of using American power unilaterally to carve out a world in America's image. Exercising leadership through international institutions and alliances, the United States was able to win the Cold War and the first Gulf War. But by ignoring these lessons, the Bush administration has created a quagmire of terror and ethnic conflict. By examining America's role in the international community--then and now--The Folly of Empire is a sharp and compelling critique of America's current foreign policy and offers a direct challenge to neo-conservatives.

The Folly of Empire: What George W. Bush Could Learn from Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson

History

Judis, John B.

Americas

Oxford University Press

A probing look at one of the most incendiary subjects of our time―the relationship between the United States and Israel There has been more than half a century of raging conflict between Jews and Arabs―a violent, costly struggle that has had catastrophic repercussions in a critical region of the world. In Genesis, John B. Judis argues that, while Israelis and Palestinians must shoulder much of the blame, the United States has been the principal power outside the region since the end of World War II and as such must account for its repeated failed diplomacy efforts to resolve this enduring strife.
The fatal flaw in American policy, Judis shows, can be traced back to the Truman years. What happened between 1945 and 1949 sealed the fate of the Middle East for the remainder of the century. As a result, understanding that period holds the key to explaining almost everything that follows―right down to George W. Bush's unsuccessful and ill-conceived effort to win peace through holding elections among the Palestinians, and Barack Obama's failed attempt to bring both parties to the negotiating table. A provocative narrative history animated by a strong analytical and moral perspective, and peopled by colorful and outsized personalities and politics, Genesis offers a fresh look at these critical postwar years, arguing that if we can understand how this stalemate originated, we will be better positioned to help end it.

Genesis: Truman, American Jews, and the Origins of the Arab/Israeli Conflict

Farrar. Straus and Giroux

Focusing on the "American Century," the author explores the myths and realities of American power and discusses the role of the nation as a new century dawns. By the author of William F. Buckley, Jr.: Patron Saint of the Conservatives.

Grand Illusion: Critics and Champions of the American Century

Farrar. Straus & Giroux

Washington is big business. John B. Judis, a senior editor for the New Republic, onducts an instructive tour through this corridor of money and power in this work. Cutting to the heart of today's debate, it recommends what we can do to fix our broken system.

The Paradox of American Democracy: Elites, Special Interests, and the Betrayal of the Public Trust

Routledge

William F. Buckley, Jr.: Patron Saint of Conservatives

Biographies & Memoirs

Professionals & Academics

Random House Value Publishing

William F. Buckley, Jr.: Patron Saint of the Conservatives

WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY: Patron Saint of the Conservatives

Historical

Simon&Schuster

Portrays the life and politics of the founder of modern American conservatism

William F Buckley Jr: Patron Saint of the Conservatives

Leaders & Notable People

Touchstone

John B. Judis, one of our most insightful political commentators, most rational and careful thinkers, and most engaged witnesses in Washington, has taken on a challenge that even the most concerned American citizens shrink from: forecasting the American political climate at the turn of the century. The Paradox of American Democracy is a penetrating examination of our democracy that illuminates the forces and institutions that once enlivened it and now threaten to undermine it. It is the well-reasoned discussion we need in this era of unrestrained expert opinions and ideologically biased testimony. The disenchantment with our political system can be seen in decreasing voter turnout, political parties co-opted by consultants and large contributors, the corrupting influence of "soft money," and concern for national welfare subverted by lobbying organizations and special-interest groups. Judis revisits particular moments -- the Progressive Era, the New Deal, the 1960s -- to discover what makes democracy the most efficacious and, consequently, most inefficacious. What has worked in the past is a balancing act between groups of elites --- trade commissions, labor relations boards, policy groups -- whose mandates are to act in the national interest and whose actions are governed by a disinterested pursuit of the common good. Judis explains how the displacment of such elites by a new lobbying community in Whashington has given rise to the cynicism that corrodes the current political system. The Paradox of American Democracy goes straight to the heart of every political debate in this country.

The Paradox of American Democracy: Elites, Special Interests, and the Betrayal of Public Trust

Pantheon

William F. Buckley, Jr.: Patron Saint of the Conservatives

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Judis, John B.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Judis, John B.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Judis, John B.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

The Folly of Empire: What George W. Bush Could Learn from Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson

Genesis: Truman, American Jews, and the Origins of the Arab/Israeli Conflict

Grand Illusion: Critics and Champions of the American Century

Genesis: Truman, American Jews, and the Origins of the Arab/Israeli Conflict

The Paradox of American Democracy: Elites, Special Interests, and the Betrayal of the Public Trust

William F. Buckley, Jr.: Patron Saint of Conservatives

WILLIAM F. BUCKLEY: Patron Saint of the Conservatives

William F Buckley Jr: Patron Saint of the Conservatives

The Paradox of American Democracy: Elites, Special Interests, and the Betrayal of Public Trust

William F. Buckley, Jr.: Patron Saint of the Conservatives