The Nixon-Kissinger Years: The Reshaping of American Foreign Policy

Rating:
Summary: Will change how you think about world affairs.
Review: Professor Thornton leads us through the labyrinth of foreign policy decision making during the Nixon Administration and the subsequent Kissinger "Shogunate." The reader must be prepared to think *strategically*, i.e. to consider apparently isolated events in a larger, global context. In other words, Thornton challenges us to think about world affairs just like the actual players did (and do).

Caveat: this is not a right-wing conspiracy-type book. It is a serious text on recent American and world history. People looking for a sensational ride through the subterranean passages of governmental power would probably be better off elsewhere.

Thornton does suggest explanatory models that are quasi-revolutionary, e.g. that Nixon's fall was the result of a commonplace political entrapment scheme by Kissinger, which led directly to (among other events) the fall of South Vietnam. Does that morsel sound tempting to you? The book is full of them. (I especially love Dr. Thornton's description of Watergate burglar G. Gordon Liddy - look up Liddy's name in the index to find the passage.)

Dr. Thornton is a Professor at George Washington University's School of International Affairs. He is an expert on China and its history (and he speaks several Chinese dialects). He is the "real McCoy" with a pedigree that includes a career in U.S. Air Force intelligence.