ISBN:
9780735224247
Language:
English
Pages:
xvi, 478 Seiten
,
Karten
,
25 cm
Year of publication:
2023
Parallel Title:
Erscheint auch als
DDC:
327.73056
Keywords:
United States / Foreign relations / Middle East
;
Middle East / Foreign relations / United States
;
HISTORY / Asia / General
;
Diplomatic relations
;
Middle East
;
United States
;
USA
;
Mittlerer Osten
;
Auslandsbeziehungen
;
Diplomatische Beziehungen
Abstract:
"A longtime American foreign policy insider's biting and definitive reckoning with the high cost of this country's ambitious meddling in the Middle East-and its bitter end The culmination of almost 40 years of expertise and insider policy access, Grand Delusion is Steven Simon's tour de force, offering a comprehensive yet analytical tour of U.S. involvement in the Middle East. Simon begins with the Reagan administration, when the Middle East shifted from a group of faraway and frequently squabbling nations to an urgent opportunity for America to (in Reagan's words) "serve the cause of world peace and the future of mankind." Assuring citizens that "we owe it to ourselves and to our children" to be a force for peace in the region, Reagan fired the starting gun on decades of profound American involvement. As the U.S. economy became increasingly reliant on oil and as policy and diplomatic momentum gathered, the Middle East became more and more central to foreign policy, and more and more likely to be the subject of grand rhetoric, until the Obama administration ended an era by turning away from the region. Grand Delusion explores the motivations, approach, and legacy of each administration up to today, showing us a complex spiderweb of intertwined events-from Lebanese civil conflict to shifting Iranian domestic politics, to Saudi Arabia's quest for security-through the lens of a Washington policy process frequently ruled by cognitive bias, wishful thinking, and outright malfeasance. Simon's sharp sense of humor and incisive analytical powers bring a complex history to life. Despite an impressive DC resume-he rose to become the National Security Council senior director for Middle Eastern and North African affairs-Simon never fails to tell the truth as he sees it [...]."
Description / Table of Contents:
Introduction : What Went Wrong? -- Jimmy Carter : Opening Act -- Ronald Reagan : Empathy and Indecision -- George H. W. Bush : The Old New World Order -- William J. Clinton : Enlargement and Containment -- George W. Bush : Wrong Man, Wrong Time -- Barack Obama : Live and Learn -- Donald J. Trump : The Deal of the Century -- Joe Biden : Back to the Future?
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