A GRAND STRATEGY FOR THE WEST

In this new book, Helmut Schmidt, Chancellor of the Federal Republic of Germany from the spring of 1974 to the fall of 1982, ranges widely over contemporary world problems and offers a timely, original, and hard-hitting set of prescriptions for U.S. and Western policy.

Chancellor Schmidt starts with the premise that no nation can now achieve its major political and economic goals by its own efforts; national interest must be pursued by strategies that include a large measure of cooperation. Referring to the Soviet Union's long history of expansion, he deplores the absence of a joint Western grand strategy toward the Soviet Union and calls for a Western policy that rests on what President Kennedy called the "two pillars" of the United States and Europe. He deals in detail with Europe's political, economic, and military weakness and lays out the dilemmas facing Europe, which he believes has abdicated a leadership role in the Western alliance and suffers the consequences of disunity. He faults the Reagan administration for the huge budget deficits that hurt not only Europe but also Latin America and points out that it is European and Japanese investors who are helping to pay the enormous costs of American nuclear weapons that are not meant ever to be used. He also criticizes the neglect of conventional forces both in America and in Europe.

Turning to other parts of the world, Chancellor Schmidt stresses the importance of Western help to solve Latin America's fundamental economic problems and warns against military intervention in Central America. He declares that only American idealists believe that the United States can bring lasting peace to the Middle East, and he recommends Western support of China's efforts to improve its economy.

Unsparing in his comments on all the leading nations, Helmut Schmidt demonstrates anew in this, by far his fullest public expression since leaving office, the qualities of total frankness, eloquence, grasp...

Timed to coincide with the Reagan-Gorbachev summit meeting in November, here are the Henry L. Stimson Lectures delivered at Yale by the former chancellor of West Germany. Schmidt's subtitle sums up his view that the West desperately needs to repair its present disarray, which finds Europe politically leaderless and dominated by the "high-handed unilateral decisionmaking" of the U.S. He is frank about the perils posed by the "second Cold War" in which the superpowers seem engaged, and argues for a Western buildup of conventional forces with simultaneous negotiations for real nuclear-arms reductions with the U.S.S.R. Schmidt is statesmanlike and balanced in his proposals for a grand strategy, discussing economic and ecological issues as well as military-political perils. He views the U.S. budget deficit as a "time bomb," and Reagan's Star Wars plan as stemming from an obsession with a "worst case" scenario, to which Schmidt responds with his own 19-point "best case" proposal. November 20
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

There are two very good reasons for reading this book. The first is the author, the second the ideas. Schmidt, Chancellor of West Germany from 1972 until 1984, is considered to be the most outstanding German leader since Adenauer. His central thesis here is that purely national strategies are incapable of achieving political, economic, or security goals given the interlocking and interdependent nature of the Western world. He examines the policies of the United States and Europe with respect to the USSR, the global economy, the Middle East, the Far East, and Central America. He finds fragmentation, inconsistency, and a lack of leadership and cohesion. He suggests that the political, economic, and security areas of policy are not separable and that harmonization of policy in each area is necessary to achieve the goals in all areas. Schmidt's insights into the politics of the Western alliance demand attention. Highly recommended. Richard B. Finnegan, Political Science Dept., Stonehill Coll., North Easton, Mass.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.