Book Review of Stanley Hoffman's Gulliver's Troubles

Seyom Brown

Expert InsightsPublished 1968

In what is considered the best of recent U.S. foreign policy critiques, Professor Hoffman analyzes the international system and the U.S. response through its habits of perception, decisionmaking, and diplomacy. These habits, useful in the international arena during the late 1940s and early 1950s, are no longer effective. The emergence of a “multi-hierarchical” system requires that the United States and Russia learn moderation and flexibility, working more through international organizations. The national style can be readjusted — Gulliver can be untied from the clumsy diplomacy reinforced by the Cold War — by utilizing important American ideals and skills: encouragement of diversity, military strategic expertise, peacemaking activity, and bargaining skills already acquired in domestic issues.

Topics

Document Details

Citation

Chicago Manual of Style

Brown, Seyom, Book Review of Stanley Hoffman's Gulliver's Troubles. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation, 1968. https://www.rand.org/pubs/papers/P3867.html.
BibTeX RIS

This publication is part of the RAND paper series. The paper series was a product of RAND from 1948 to 2003 that captured speeches, memorials, and derivative research, usually prepared on authors' own time and meant to be the scholarly or scientific contribution of individual authors to their professional fields. Papers were less formal than reports and did not require rigorous peer review.

This document and trademark(s) contained herein are protected by law. This representation of RAND intellectual property is provided for noncommercial use only. Unauthorized posting of this publication online is prohibited; linking directly to this product page is encouraged. Permission is required from RAND to reproduce, or reuse in another form, any of its research documents for commercial purposes. For information on reprint and reuse permissions, please visit www.rand.org/pubs/permissions.

RAND is a nonprofit institution that helps improve policy and decisionmaking through research and analysis. RAND's publications do not necessarily reflect the opinions of its research clients and sponsors.