This is quite a review of United States foreign policy over the last century. I am not sure that I always agree with Robert Merry, the publisher of Congressional Quarterly, but his numerous alternate perceptions and insights are good to read.

He first contrasts the idea of progress versus the idea of cylces in looking at where the world's history is going. The cyclical view is exemplified by Oswald Spengler and Arnold Toynbee. But not everyone has read them. During the 1990's the idea of the end of history came about through Francis Fukyama, much to our detriment. The popular version was taken up by Thomas Friedman of the New York Times. The alternative to this is that of Samuel Huntingtn and the Clash of Civilizations. Merry is definitely in the latter's camp.

Then Merry's expresses the five modalities of the United Sates response to what should be done in the world beyond its borders.

1. The expansionism of Theodore Roosevelt, a variant of European colonialism. this didn't really take hold for any length of time in the 20th century.
2. Liberal or humaitarian interventionism, where the U.S. has a moral imperative to brings its values to the rest of the world. The second Bush and neo-conservatives were in this camp.
3. Conservative isolationism, to keep the U.S. out of a corrupt world, and certainly was preeminent in the late 1930's in the U.S.
4. Liberal isolationism, which sees the rest of the world as better than the corrupt U.S. and had sway among leftists in the 1960's and 1970's, because of the war in Vietnam.
5. Conservative interventionism, where the U.S. must play a major world roll to protect its interests. This sees the Kosovo intervention during the Clinto administration. as a bad policy.

Merry is not sure that the U.S. should further humanitarian policies because it brings so much trouble for us. The problem for me is that many Americans really do believe in the values of American democracy and would like to see them spread or adopted. Taking the middle ground is very hard to do. But I do agree that the U.S. as a nation can be blinded by its zeal, and we need to reguarly step back and take stock of the real situation. ( )

4126 Sands of Empire Missionary Zeal, American Foreign Policy, and the Hazards of Global Ambition, by Robert W. Merry (read 6 Feb 2006) This is a thought-inspiring book, which says much that makes sense, tho some things one might question. The author is the publisher of the Congressional Quarterly and a former Wall Street Journal reporter. On page 246 he says: Before the Iraq war those opposed to it "advanced three rationales: there was insufficient evidence that the threat posed by Saddam was imminent; the goal of building democracy was going to be infinitely more difficult, long, and bloody than anticipated; and the resulting occupation would inflame anti-Western passions throughout Islam." They were right on all three points. This is a disturbing book, deserving of study and attention by all who are concerned about the future of this world. ( )