بازگشت تاریخ و پایان رویاها

Much of Mr. Kagan's analysis is correct; however, he still wears the "blinders" of the William Kristol group, and the world-view he is associated with. I will not demean them by referring to them as "neo-cons"--as their opponents do. I think their hearts are in the right place, and that their love for America, and its freedoms, cannot be questioned. However, I feel that Mr. Kagan's analysis over-emphasizes Russia's resources, and its competencies. I think Vladimir Putin is an amazing, and very dangerous leader, and that we should never, ever, take him for granted; however, he rules a dying, tragic Russia, more likely to be engulfed in an Islamic wave than to cause serious problems for the West. Still, Russia is a great, wounded lion, and it can always decide to take down America with it, in a Slavic version of "Goetterdammerung". China is as much a foreigner in the Middle East as we are, and, although it has proven itself infinitely more skillful diplomatically than America has (big surprise there, hah!), it still has several enormous--and potentially, insurmountable---problems: first, in its west, it has large muslim provinces that are at various stages of boiling over into open successionist war---how will its killing those people---as it murdered the Tibetans just before the Olympics---look to its muslim prospective oil-generating "partners"? Second, India is its traditional rival--and has fought two losing wars already with China (neither of which India should have lost if it had just used its best (non-politically-connected)officers (India has the best trained large army (and navy) in the world). India must of course oppose further Chinese influence in the region, and must of course oppose any attempts by China to strengthen the already strong muslim influence in the area. A reminder: by 2030, India will be the largest nation in the history of the world. Then there is Iran; and Israel. These two countries are the monkey-wrenches in the equation. The arab countries would be no real threat to Israel without the money pouring in to them from Iran---which is NOT an arab country! on the other hand, Israel would have had to come to some kind of realistic accommodation with its neighbors were it not for the financial and military support from America. So, at the end of the day, we now have this crazy situation where the tensions between "Jew" and "Arab" are only being exacerbated by the constant funding (and meddling) by non-Jewish America, and non-Arab Iran! As we say in my homeland (Brooklyn): verkokte! Still, at least Mr. Kagan deals cogently with the complex Middle East---as opposed to Breszinski's latest drivel. Hopes for a new peaceful international order after the end of the Cold War have been dashed by sobering Great powers are once again competing for honor and influence. Nation-states remain as strong as ever, as do the old, explosive forces of ambitious nationalism. The world remains unipolar, but international competition among the United States, Russia, China, Europe, Japan, India, and Iran raise new threats of regional conflict. Communism is dead, but a new contest between western liberalism and the great eastern autocracies of Russia and China has reinjected ideology into geopolitics. Finally, radical Islamists are waging a violent struggle against the modern secular cultures and powers that, in their view, have dominated, penetrated, and polluted their Islamic world. The grand expectation that after the Cold War the world would enter an era of international geopolitical convergence has proven wrong. For the past few years, the liberal world has been internally divided and distracted by issues both profound and petty. Now, in The Return of History and the End of Dreams , Robert Kagan masterfully poses the most important questions facing the liberal democratic countries, challenging them to choose whether they want to shape history or let others shape it for them. Hopes for a new peaceful international order after the end of the Cold War have been dashed by sobering realities: Great powers are once again competing for honor and influence. The world remains "unipolar," but international competition among the United States, Russia, China, Europe, Japan, India, and Iran raise new threats of regional conflict, and a new contest between western liberalism and the great eastern autocracies of Russia and China has reinjected ideology into geopolitics.For the past few years, the liberal world has been internally divided and distracted by issues both profound and petty. Now, in The Return of History and the End of Dreams, Robert Kagan masterfully poses the most important questions facing the liberal democratic countries, challenging them to choose whether they want to shape history or let others shape it for them.From the Trade Paperback edition. Cover......Page 1 Copyright page......Page 10 The Return of History and the End of Dreams......Page 15 Hopes and Dreams......Page 16 The Return of Great Power Nationalism......Page 22 The Rise of Russia......Page 24 The Rise of China......Page 37 Japan: A Return to Normalcy......Page 48 India and the Argument of Power......Page 53 Iran and Regional Hegemony......Page 58 The Ambitious Superpower......Page 61 The Axis of Democracy and the Association of Autocrats......Page 65 The Hopeless Dream of Radical Islam......Page 92 The Vices and Virtues of American Hegemony......Page 97 Toward a Concert of Democracies......Page 109 Conclusion......Page 114 Notes......Page 119 A Note About the Author......Page 129 A Note on the Type......Page 131 World Politics Cover 1 Copyright page 10 The Return of History and the End of Dreams 15 Hopes and Dreams 16 The Return of Great Power Nationalism 22 The Rise of Russia 24 The Rise of China 37 Japan: A Return to Normalcy 48 India and the Argument of Power 53 Iran and Regional Hegemony 58 The Ambitious Superpower 61 The Axis of Democracy and the Association of Autocrats 65 The Hopeless Dream of Radical Islam 92 The Vices and Virtues of American Hegemony 97 Toward a Concert of Democracies 109 Conclusion 114 Notes 119 A Note About the Author 129 A Note on the Type 131 history;,world,politics;,US,foreign,policy;,geopolitics history,world politics,US foreign policy,geopolitics Addresses The Challenges And Questions Confronting The Modern-day Liberal Democratic World, From The Competition Among Powerful Nations To The Violent Struggle Of Radical Islam, And Calls For A New Approach On The Part Of The Liberal World To Shape The Future. Robert Kagan. Includes Bibliographical References (p. [107]-[116]).