Anthony Harrigan on

The Limits of Power: America’s Role in The World, by Eugene J. McCarthy. Holt, $5.95

As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Eugene J. McCarthy of Minnesota has had a splendid opportunity to observe and understand the exercise of American national power in the shaping of foreign policy. Yet his book makes plain that he misunderstands and distrusts the power possessed by the United States. He seemingly cannot bear the idea that American power is truly global in character and that the United States has a capacity for influencing events that transcends anything ever known by state systems in the past. He asserts that the United States must “reduce or liquidate” its commitments, without explaining why this is the case. In the final chapter of this book, he warns that “throughout history mighty nations have learned the limits of power.” He fails to state, however, that these limits have been reached only after strategic frontiers have been pushed back as far as possible.

AH

About the Author

Anthony H. Harrigan

Featured Tags

The Limits of Power: America’s Role in The World, by Eugene J. McCarthy. Holt, $5.95

As a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Eugene J. McCarthy of Minnesota has had a splendid opportunity to observe and understand the exercise of American national power in the shaping of foreign policy. Yet his book makes plain that he misunderstands and distrusts the power possessed by the United States. He seemingly cannot bear the idea that American power is truly global in character and that the United States has a capacity for influencing events that transcends anything ever known by state systems in the past. He asserts that the United States must “reduce or liquidate” its commitments, without explaining why this is the case. In the final chapter of this book, he warns that “throughout history mighty nations have learned the limits of power.” He fails to state, however, that these limits have been reached only after strategic frontiers have been pushed back as far as possible.