Monday, May 12, 2008

Foreign Policy Realism: Leave the Gun, Take the Cannoli

The National Interest turns in a funny, yet prescient comparison of US foreign policy alternatives to the Corleone family's strategic concerns in the first Godfather movie.

The punchline is that Michael's realism dominates in a world of emerging multi-polarity. Both Sonny the neocon and Tom the liberal institutionalist seem antiquated by comparison, given their mindset of hegemonic Corleone power.

Also check out the May/June Foreign Affairs for a fantastic analysis of what a multipolar world might look like, and how a blend of hard and soft power is more likely to deliver advantageous results than an either/or strategy.

-Education Dude

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