George C. Herring: From Colony to Superpower - U.S. Foreign Relations Since 1776

Hardcover: 1035 pages
Publisher: Oxford University Press 2008

George C. Herring's 1000-page narrative on the foreign relations of the United States since independence in 1776 until the Iraq War is a formidable achievement. Herring's sweeping historical account is filled with generalizable insights and interesting details on foreign policy. A must read for anyone interested in US history or the development of the world order.

"The fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration for Independence on July 4, 1826, also brought forth talk of a rededication to freedom. The remarkable, coincedental deaths of Thomas Jefferson and John Adams on that very day seemed to President John Quincy Adams a "visible and palpable" sign of "Divine favor," a reminder of America's special role in the world." p. 158-159

"When advised that if he was too conciliatory he [Woodrow Wilson] might be destroyed politically, he retorted that 'I am willing if I can serve my country to go into a cellar and read poetry for the remainder of my life'" p. 417

"Of all the world's nations, only the United States emerged stronger and richer at war's [II WW] end. An economy recently devastated by depression soared to new heights from the demands ofwar. The gross national product skyrocketed from $886 million in 1939 to $135 billion in 1945." p. 597

"The key proof, in the national security adviser's [Kissinger] mind, was the appearance of a soccer field, presumably to built for Russian sailors. 'These soccer fields could mean war,' he ominously informed White House chief of staff Bob Haldeman. 'Cubans play baseball. Russians play soccer.'" p. 773

Second Opinion: Howard French / The New York Times

¶ 12/07/2008 12:43:00 ip.