Politicians boast about spreading democracy. Armed forces clash. Civilians suffer and die. Pundits debate. Solutions are illusive. Another grand plan collapses into rubble. In the season of political change, many books have appeared with analysis and policy proposals written to advise the new U.S. president. And in the wake of the attacks on September 11th 2001, when many Americans realized that foreign policy affected them directly, understanding the conflicts and potential solutions is important for both citizens and those who govern them.

Noam Chomsky, MIT Linguistics professor and prolific writer whose books include 9-11 and Failed States, and Gilbert Achcar, professor at University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies and author of The Clash of Barbarisms and The 33-Day War, reissue their extended conversation about the nature and history of Middle East conflicts and U.S. foreign policy.

Both agree that this rise of terrorism and Islamic fundamentalism is the direct outcome of U.S. policy decisions that stretch back over decades of interventions, overthrows, and manipulation. Many of the secular movements such as Gamal Abdel-Nasser’s pan-Arab nationalism and socialist and communist elements in the Palestinian struggle were considered enemies of the U.S. The arming of the Mujahideen against the USSR in Afghanistan in the 1980’s, the support for ultra-conservative Wahhabis Islamic sect in Saudi Arabia, the 1953 overthrow of the democratically elected prime minister of Iran, Mohammed Mossadegh, and the installation of the bloody pro-U.S. Shah, the 1977 the backing of General Muhammad Zia-ul-Haq in Pakistan and the 2003 invasion and occupation of Iraq all contributed to the weakening of secular nationalism and strengthened Islamic fundamentalism.

According to Chomsky, the U.S. repeatedly finds itself in the position of opposing democratic elections in places like Egypt, Lebanon, and Palestine because, “The wrong people might win” like Muslim Brotherhood, Hezbollah, or Hamas. “They support democracy if and only if it conforms to U.S. economic and strategic objectives.”

During their in-depth and riveting discussion, Chomsky and Achcar, review the modern history of the U.S. involvement in the Middle East and discuss many of the nuances that are left out of the 24-hour, sound-bite-loving, news cycle. The book has been updated from the hard cover release to include additional conversations done in March 2008.

Seyom Brown’s approach in Higher Realism is to focus on a guiding philosophy to organize foreign policy. Brown is the John Goodwin Tower Distinguished Chair in International Politics and National Security Director of Studies at the Tower Center for Political Studies at Southern Methodist University, has held positions at the RAND Corporation and is presently a Senior Advisor at MIT’s Security Studies Program. His previous books include The Illusion of Control: Force and Foreign Policy in the 21st Century (The Brookings Institution), and Human Rights in World Politics.

The principal of Higher Realism “…does not assume that what is good for the United States is, by definition good for the world. But it does recognize that, more and more, what is good for the world is good for the United States.” A well-functioning global economy, a healthy planet, respect for cultures and religious traditions, reducing the use of military force, and lessening poverty and diseases in poorer countries have not always been priorities for the foreign policy goals of the U.S. However, he argues that in the new epoch of trans-continental immigration, massive globalization and the interconnectedness of national economies, and the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, particularly nuclear weapons, that vial interests of the U.S. have grown to include these issues formally regarded by Conventional Realists in the State Department as outside of United States’ self-interest.

Brown’s outlook is based on his analysis of the change from a bi-polar world that revolved politically around the U.S. and the USSR to a poly-polar world of traditional states, alliances (like the European Union), emerging economies (like China and India), and non-state actors (like Al-Qaeda and Hezbollah). In a multi-polar world, actions ripple, rife with unintended consequences.

Taken together these books provide the background and several possible paths for the next administration to take in foreign relations and the resolution of international conflicts. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the fears of a new pandemic, global warming, the proliferation of nuclear weapons, hunger-driven foot riots, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the world-wide financial crisis are driving events and it’s in the interest of humanity that the U.S. foreign policy catch up with that reality. Foreign policy experts and ordinary readers will benefit from deeply analytical studies like these.

by Deirdre Sinnott
Copyright Foreword Magazine, Volume 12, No. 1
(October 2008 & November 2008) ( )