America between the wars: from 11 9 to 9 11 : the misunderstood years between the fall of the Berlin Wall and the start of the War on Terror

441 Pages·2008·2 MB·English

by  Derek H. Chollet

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Praise for America Between the Wars
“An indispensable history of the decade preceding 9/11. You can’t under-
stand today’s American crisis without understanding how we got there.
This book tells us, eloquently and compellingly.”
—Richard Holbrooke
“This book will likely stand as the definitive work on the politics, people,
and ideas involved in the foreign policy debates of the 1990s. It shows
how, in the decade before Sept. 11, both Republicans and Democrats,
both liberals and conservatives, struggled to come to grips with post–Cold
War issues such as the use of military force, the promotion of democracy,
and the proper U.S. role in the world. This is a lucidly written history, de-
void of rhetoric and full of invaluable information.”
—James Mann, author of Rise of the Vulcans
“ America Between the Wars is a deeply researched, well-written account of
U.S. foreign policy in the first post–Cold War decade. Authors Chollet and
Goldgeier should be commended for being comprehensive and fair-
minded. Truly essential reading.”
—Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University and
fellow at the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy
“Here is an excellent account of how the United States and the world
changed from the conclusion of the Cold War to the Al Qaeda attacks of
2001. The history of diplomacy and international affairs are inseparable
from the history of politics; but it is extremely difficult to do them all jus-
tice in a single book. Derek Chollet and James Goldgeier not only suc-
ceed, they succeed in style—and they provide a persuasive and entirely
original way of understanding America’s role in global affairs during a piv-
otal dozen years.”
—Sean Wilentz, professor of history at Princeton University
and author of The Age of Reagan
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“In America Between the Wars, Goldgeier and Chollet examine the decade be-
tween the collapse of the Soviet Union and the destruction of the Twin
Towers and offer illuminating insights into the forces that have reshaped
today’s world.”
—Henry Kissinger
“This book is a gem of current history, a scrupulously fair and highly read-
able piece of old-fashioned scholarship. Chollet and Goldgeier, two of the
most promising young foreign policy experts, now allow us to argue about
the ten-year run up to9/11and know what we’re talking about.”
—Leslie H. Gelb, former New York Timescolumnist
and president emeritus of the Council on Foreign Relations
“Chollet and Goldgeier have written a highly informative, engaging, and
accessible account of the period between America’s most recent major
wars—the Cold War and the War on Terror. In this balanced and well-
written story, they argue that 9/11 did not change everything and that in
order to analyze America’s challenges today, one must understand the
foreign policy debates and clashes of the 1990s.”
—Lee H. Hamilton, president and director of the
Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and
vice-chair of the 9/11Commission
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America Between the Wars
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also by derek chollet
The Road to the Dayton Accords: A Study of American Statecraft
Bridging the Foreign Policy Divide
(coeditor with Tod Lindberg and David Shorr)
Too Poor for Peace?
(coeditor with Lael Brainard)
*
also by james goldgeier
Leadership Style and Soviet Foreign Policy
Not Whether But When: The U.S. Decision to Enlarge NATO
Power and Purpose: U.S. Policy toward Russia after the Cold War
(with Michael McFaul)
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America Between the Wars
From 11/9 to 9/11
*
The Misunderstood Years
Between the Fall of the Berlin Wall and the
Start of the War on Terror
Derek Chollet and James Goldgeier
*
A Council on Foreign Relations Book
PublicAffairs
New York
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Copyright © 2008by Derek Chollet and James Goldgeier
Published in the United States by PublicAffairs™, a member of the Perseus Books Group.
All rights reserved.
Printed in the United States of America.
No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the
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publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journal-
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Book design and composition by Mark McGarry, Texas Type & Book Works
Set in Caslon 540 with Big Caslon display
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Chollet, Derek H.
America between the wars, 11/9to 9/11: the misunderstood years between the fall of the Berlin Wall
and the start of the War on Terror / Derek Chollet and James Goldgeier. — 1st ed.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
isbn 978-1-58648-496-5 (hardcover : alk. paper) 1. United States—Politics and government—1989–
2. United States—Foreign relations—1989– 3. United States—Social conditions—1980– 4. Political
culture—United States—History—20th century. 5. Social change—United States—History—20th century.
6. Berlin Wall, Berlin, Germany, 1961–1989. 7. September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001—Influence.
8. World politics—1989– I. Goldgeier, James M. II. Title.
e839.5.c475 2008 2008004053
973.928—dc22
first edition
10987654321
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for our future:
Lucas Chollet Hostetter
and
Jeffrey Goldgeier and Brian Goldgeier
“This page left intentionally blank.”
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Contents
Preface: Between the Wars ix
1 The Lone Superpower, Adrift 1
2 Democrats Unite 29
3 Wrong Foot Forward 53
4 Contract and Crisis 85
5 Turning Point 113
6 The Indispensable Nation in a Globalizing World 146
7 “Remembering the Past and Imagining the Future” 178
8 Liberal Bombs, Conservative Shields 210
9 New World Disorder 244
10 The End of the Modern Interwar Years 280
11 The 11/9World 313
From 11/9 to 9/11: A Chronology 331
Notes 343
Bibliography 377
Acknowledgments 387
Index 391