Brief Description
Examines the neo-conservative movement in the US and discovers cautions against it.
Learn More about the Book
Used wisely, America's immense military power can preserve freedom but used unwisely, it can fracture global stability. Stefan Halper and Jonathan Clarke argue, that as long as neo-conservative radicals dominate the nation's national security process, fracture is more likely. Assuming Americans will see increasing threats in the future, this book is important because it identifies the factions and agendas involved. It advocates an alternative approach based on a return to the mainstream principles that have successfully guided American diplomacy for half a century. years.
About the Author
Jonathan Clarke is a Foreign Affairs Scholar at the CATO Institute in Washington, DC. He received a B.A. and an M.A. from Oxford University and has also been a Counselor, British Diplomatic Service, with assignments in Germany, Zimbabwe and the United States. He is the author of After the Crusade: American Foreign Policy for the Post-Superpower Age and has made numerous contributions to various forms of print media, including Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, the Los Angeles Times, National Interest, Orbis and the Washington Post.
Review Quotes
1. ..."an engrossing tale about the roots and impact of neo-conservatives on American policy...must reading not only for what it says about how they did it, but also for documenting the paucity - in the U.S. government and beyond --of meaningful debate about the potential risks as well as benefits of mounting 'preventive' war in response to the events of September 11, 2001." Chester A. Crocker, Former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, 1981-89, and James R. Schlesinger Professor of Strategic Studies, Georgetown University
2. 'This book dissects the American neo-conservatives and their ideology. It traces their intellectual and political connections; their rise to influence and then to power in Washington and passes judgement on their effects on US domestic politics and US foreign policy. You do not need to agree with the authors' every word to find this powerful critique of an important contemporary stream in American thinking enlightening and thought provoking.' Dame Pauline Neville Jones, Former Political Director of the British Foreign Office
3. 'An in-depth survey of the intellectual development of neo-conservative thought over the last quarter century. Whether or not you agree with the book's conclusions, it is a must-read for anyone interested in the making of U.S. foreign policy in the 21st century.' The Honorable C. Boyden Gray, White House General Counsel to President George H. W. Bush, 1988-1992
4. 'Most critics of the war on Iraq belong to liberal, internationalist, American Democrat or European traditions. This book is a damning indictment by mainstream U.S. Republicans with long experience in government. It traces the rise of the neo-conservatives, their influence through think-tanks and the media, their obsession with Israel and the Middle East and their conversion of the Pentagon and President George W. Bush to a Manichaean unilateralist foreign policy in which force is the preferred option. 'Know your enemy' is always good policy; 'know your friends' is also a good principle and there is much in this book that should give supporters of British and American policy in Iraq pause for thought.' Sir Roger Tomkys, British Ambassador to Bahrain (1981-84) and Syria (1984-86)
5. "Its thesis is that an unelected group of right-wing intellectuals have taken over U.S. foreign policy, to the detriment of the United States and the world as a whole." Providence Journal
6. "America Alone is a sobering critique of U.S. foreign policy by two very serious conservatives. What makes their book so powerful is that their conclusion appears to be right." Washington Times
7. "Halper and Clarke document in detail the origins, history, near disappearance, and recent ascension of the neoconservative 'interest group' in dominating the decisions and discourse surrounding US foreign policy decision-making since the 9-11 terrorist attacks." E.A. Turpen, Henry L. Stimson Center, CHOICE
8. "This book dissects the American neo-conservatives and their ideology...You do not need to agree with the authors' every word to find this powerful critique of an important contemporary stream in American thinking enlightening and thought provoking." Dame Pauline Neville Jones, Former Political Director of the British Foreign Office, 1993-96
9. "ÝThe authors¨ have done the near-impossible...they offer convincing, powerful, new insights on a crucial and widely-discussed development in America's relations with the world. The book is fair-minded...fascinating...full of valuable guidance for the next phase in U.S. foreign policy. Its analysis is the more trenchant for coming from two bona fide conservatives." James Fallows, National Correspondent, The Atlantic Monthly
10. "ÝHalper and Clarke's¨ thoughtful, insightful work spans ideological and partisan differences, a rare phenomenon in these times...the argument never has been put together so persuasively, so conclusively and so effectively." Washington Post
11. "[The authors] have done the near-impossible...they offer convincing, powerful, new insights on a crucial and widely-discussed development in America's relations with the world. The book is fair-minded...fascinating...full of valuable guidance for the next phase in U.S. foreign policy. Its analysis is the more trenchant for coming from two bona fide conservatives." James Fallows, National Correspondent, The Atlantic Monthly
12. .,."an engrossing tale about the roots and impact of neo-conservatives on American policy...must reading not only for what it says about how they did it, but also for documenting the paucity - in the U.S. government and beyond --of meaningful debate about the potential risks as well as benefits of mounting 'preventive' war in response to the events of September 11, 2001." Chester A. Crocker, Former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, 1981-89, and James R. Schlesinger Professor of Strategic Studies, Georgetown University
13. ."..an engrossing tale about the roots and impact of neo-conservatives on American policy...must reading not only for what it says about how they did it, but also for documenting the paucity - in the U.S. government and beyond --of meaningful debate about the potential risks as well as benefits of mounting 'preventive' war in response to the events of September 11, 2001." Chester A. Crocker, Former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, 1981-89, and James R. Schlesinger Professor of Strategic Studies, Georgetown University
14. HB ISBN (2004) 0-521-83834-7
15. ..".an engrossing tale about the roots and impact of neo-conservatives on American policy...must reading not only for what it says about how they did it, but also for documenting the paucity - in the U.S. government and beyond --of meaningful debate about the potential risks as well as benefits of mounting 'preventive' war in response to the events of September 11, 2001." Chester A. Crocker, Former Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs, 1981-89, and James R. Schlesinger Professor of Strategic Studies, Georgetown University
16. "[Halper and Clarke's] thoughtful, insightful work spans ideological and partisan differences, a rare phenomenon in these times...the argument never has been put together so persuasively, so conclusively and so effectively." Washington Post
