Morality and Foreign Policy (P)

Thompson, Kenneth W.

ISBN 10: 0807110078 / ISBN 13: 9780807110072

Published by LSU Press, 1982

About this Item

May have limited writing in cover pages. Pages are unmarked. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less.

Seller Inventory # G0807110078I4N00

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Morality and Foreign Policy (P)
• Publisher: LSU Press
• Publication Date: 1982
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0807110078
• ISBN 13: 9780807110072
• Binding: Paperback
• Condition: Very Good
• Dust Jacket Condition: No Jacket
• Weight: 0.85 pounds

About this title

Synopsis

Kenneth W. Thompson admits that moral pronouncements and human conduct are often widely separated, particularly in international events. In order to balance harmony and disharmony, world and self-interests, nations observe moral principles less rigidly than do smaller communities. To understand how the separation between pronouncements and conduct widens in matters of foreign policy, Thompson candidly faces such issues as the harsh decisions that countries must make, the need for hypocrisy, and the resulting self-righteousness.

Morality and Foreign Policy looks at the assumptions and principles that underlie historic debates about the ethics of foreign policy. Tracing decisions in policy from the 1800s to the present, Thompson views his subject from an American perspective but also concentrates on diverse international contexts in which decisions are made.

Thompson cautiously maintains his balance on the fine wire between speaking up for America and embarking on an ideological crusade. He provides such examples from current events as the Bay of Pigs in Cuba and the East-West Cold War to show how easily one can fall on one side or the other. He contrasts the problem of order in America and the Third World and shows how the latter’s is weighted by a special urgency, protest, and antithesis to the democratic process.

For Kenneth Thompson, American moral reasoning is “a practical alternative to abstract moralism or hopeless cynicism,” and he holds up this principle as a challenge, not only to other countries but also to America itself.

About the Author

Kenneth W. Thompson was director emeritus of the White Burkett Miller Center of Public Affairs and J. Wilson Newman Professor Emeritus of government and foreign affairs at the University of Virginia. He was the author of many books on international relations, including Fathers of International Thought: The Legacy of Political Theory.