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THE NEW POLITICS by

THE NEW POLITICS

By

Pub Date: Feb. 27th, 1961
Publisher: Coward-McCann

This is an examination of the realities of American foreign policy. The authors spend little time deploring the fact that present American foreign policy is defective though they do point out what they consider basic flaws in the traditional American notion of the conduct of political affairs. They believe that, fundamentally, our policy failure is one of political intelligence (ironically, in view of the fact that the American culture is best defined in political terms) and an exalted but misguided sense of our mission in history. They deal at length with the doctrine of containment and maintain that although it was a suitable diplomatic position in 1947 it has now become an anachronism. They discuss Russia and China's political and cultural characteristics; the emergence of the neutralist (and ""uncommitted"") states; the technology of war as it affects the balance of power in the world; and they suggest some concrete changes in policy for a ""transformed"" world. Among them: closing down our overseas bases; a reassessment of our plethora of alliances for their political meaning; and, most striking, massive injections of capital into those few nations in the world which are at ""take-off"", for example, India, Brazil, United Arab Republic, Turkey, possibly Poland. Clearly written, tightly reasoned, informed with literary and philosophical intelligence The New Politics is a pertinent, controversial and provocative book. It will doubtless receive respectful critical attention. A chapter has appeared in Magazine.