Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice : Foreign Policy, Race, and the New American Century

Lusane has created a groundbreaking analysis of the intersection of racial politics and American foreign policy. This insightful work critically examines the roles played by former Secretary of State Colin Powell and current Secretary of State (and former National Security Advisor) Condoleezza Rice in the construction of U.S. foreign policy, exploring the ways in which their racial identity challenges conventional notions about the role of race in international relations. Neither Powell nor Rice consciously allowed their racial identity to substantially influence or characterize their participation in the defense and projection of U.S. hegemony, Lusane argues, but both used their racial identity and experiences strategically in key circumstances to defend Bush administration policies. This is but one sense in which their race, despite their reluctance to be seen as racial figures, is significant in relation to U.S. foreign policy. Locating Powell and Rice within the genealogy of the current national security strategy, and within broader shifts under George W. Bush, this work argues that their racial location in the context of the construction of U.S. foreign policy is symbolic, and that it serves to distract from the substantive part they play in the ongoing reconfiguration of U.S. global power. Criticism of Powell's and Rice's policies, for example, is often blunted by race. Black liberals may be reluctant to condemn them, while white liberals may be afraid criticism could be interpreted as racial bias, especially since conservatives of both races argue that such criticism is probably racist. Lusane tackles these difficult issues along with others, asking whether there is a black consensus on foreign policy and, if so, what its dimensions, driving forces, and prospects for stability are. How can a progressive alternative to the current U.S. foreign policy be realized? Are Powell and Rice merely functionaries, or did they substantially determine the direction of U.S. foreign policy? What will their legacies be? Clarence Lusane tackles these difficult issues along with others, asking whether there is a black consensus on foreign policy and if so, what are its dimensions, driving forces, and prospects for stability? How can a progressive alternative to the current U.S. foreign policy be realised? Are Powell and Rice merely functionaries, or did they substantially determine the direction of U.S. foreign policy? What will be their legacies? Offers an analysis of the intersection of racial politics and American foreign policy. This book examines the roles played by Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice in the construction of US foreign policy under the Bush administration, and how their racial identity challenges conventional notions about the role of race in international relations. In this groundbreaking analysis of the intersection of racial politics and American foreign policy, the author critically examines the roles played by former U.S. Secretary of State, Colin Powell and current Secretary of State (and former National Security Advisor), Condoleezza Rice in the construction of U.S. foreign policy under the George W. Bush administration, and how their racial identity challenges conventional notions about the role of race in international relations. Lusane argues that, despite their reluctance to be seen as racial figures, Powell and Rice have employed race strategically, using it in key circumstances to defend Bush administration policies. Criticism of their policies is blunted by race, as black liberals may be reluctant to condemn them due to a misplaced hope that leads to unrealistic expectations, and white liberals may be afraid that their criticism could be interpreted as racial bias. For their part, conservatives of both races use the presence of Powell and Rice to argue that a colour-blind society has arrived "This work examines the roles played by Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice in the construction of U.S. foreign policy, exploring the ways in which their racial identity challenges conventional notions about the role of race in international relations." "Neither Powell nor Rice consciously allowed their racial identity to substantially influence or characterize their participation in the defense and projection of U.S. hegemony, Clarence argues, but both used their racial identity and experiences strategically in key circumstances to defend Bush administration policies." Introduction A commonality of circumstances : Black Americans and U.S. foreign policy This is not your father's Republican Party : Powell, Rice, and the GOP Turkeys in the stew : race and representation in the era of George W. Bush What color is hegemony? the U.S. new security paradigm The clash : Iraq in the crosshairs of hegemony Counter-hegemony in the global south : Africa challenges the Powell, Rice, and Bush doctrine Counter-hegemony in the global south : the Americas say "no pasaran" to the Bush doctrine Washed up : the legacies of Powell and Rice (and Bush). Explores the role of the racial identity of Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice in the formation and presentation of the George W. Bush administration's foreign policy.