Diplomatic Theory From Machiavelli To Kissinger (Studies in Diplomacy)

Rating:
Summary: Fairly interesting collection
Review: A fairly interesting collection of essays on diplomatic theorists of the modern era. Excellent sourcing and useful lists for further reading are included at the end of each essay. The biographical introductions for each of the writers come across with moderate success; the essays do not have the room to adequately outline the lives of these thinkers, and some of the causation and chronology seems a little shaky at times.

The usually ponder what the individual thinker was best known for. This does not mean that the writing will turn out to always be interesting. The best essays are those on Machiavelli, Gucciardini, Richelieu, and Kissinger. One of the greatest pitfulls is the lack of discussion -excepted by a brief treatment in the Kissinger piece- of the linkage between diplomacy and military policy.

The usefulness of this book can best be summed up as quick overviews of the theorists' perspectives on diplomatic activity. The essays' conclusions ought to be read first, and then a quick skim of the essays themselves. The citing is excellent, and thorough. The sources for further reading are very useful.