A GRAND STRATEGY FOR THE WEST: The Anachronism of National Strategies in an Interdependent World

by Helmut Schmidt ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 20, 1985

An adaptation of the 1985 Henry Stimson Lectures at Yale, delivered by the former Chancellor of West Germany. Schmidt takes as his subject the necessity for adopting an Atlantic strategy based upon the interdependence of the nations involved. Following a laudatory introduction by William Bundy, Schmidt launches into his argument, based upon the absence of any common strategy between America and its allies. In one deft paragraph, in which Schmidt compares West Germany to Oregon with Russia a 45-minute Sunday drive away, with seven different armies occupying its soil under different commands, he captures the European mind-set that must needs cringe at tactical nuclear weapons, Star Wars, and verbal bravado, such as Ronald Reagan's description of Russia as ""an empire of evil."" Schmidt recommends, among other concepts, a stable military balance in Europe, a respect for nonaligned nations, a Reagan Plan to render Central American economies viable, a birth-control policy to control the population bomb, and--most importantly--defusing the time-bomb inherent in the American debt crisis. Schmidt writes about international affairs with much intelligence and rare insight. An important work that deserves due consideration from the foreign policy elite.

Pub Date: Nov. 20, 1985

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Yale Univ. Press

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Oct. 15, 1985

Categories: NONFICTION