The Foreign Service Journal, December 2005

the current administration. His analysis and forceful rebuttal of the various rationales for launching a preventive war in Iraq (not a pre- emptive war, as the White House claimed, says the author) are partic- ularly clear and cogent. So it is per- plexing that Haass served for several years as director of policy planning in Colin Powell’s State Department while disagreeing utterly, he now reveals, with the neoconservative values that inform the administra- tion. This paradox also informs an ele- gant review of the book by former United Nations Under Secretary Brian Urquhart ( The New York Review of Books , Aug. 11, 2005). As Urquhart explains, Haass defines the policies which the United States should pursue and which the world desperately needs, but does not address in any way how such a turn- around in U.S. foreign policy could be effected given the domestic polit- ical realities of our times. Urquhart describes these realities as “the firm hold of the big corpora- tions, especially on environmental and energy policy; the neoconserva- tive ideology that rejects internation- al organization and international treaties and conventions and favors unilateral and military ventures; the growing influence of evangelical religion on the White House, on domestic policy and on some aspects of foreign policy, including the administration’s approach to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict; and the relentlessly hostile partisanship of congressional politics, which can have a paralyzing effect in Washing- ton.” The Opportunity repeatedly argues that diplomacy is the essen- tial tool for the effective projection of United States influence, and implies that the Bush administration has neglected this tool at substantial cost to the nation. But ultimately, this book is about policy, not diplo- macy. n A former AFSA president, Bill Harrop was an FSO from 1954 to 1993, serv- ing as ambassador to Guinea, Kenya, the Seychelles, Zaire and Israel, and as inspector general of the State Department and Foreign Service. He is on the boards of five diplomacy- related organizations. D E C E M B E R 2 0 0 5 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 63 B O O K S u SERVING THOSE WHO SERVE AMERICA S I NCE 1 9 7 1 2005 represents our 35 th year helping to maintain America’s fleet of vehicles throughout the world. All of us at D & M consider it an honor to have worked with all of you through these years. We are aware of the importance of your official and private vehicles, forklifts, generators, tools and equipment. We look forward to continuing this service in a professional manner. We are here to help, just ask! Gary Vlahov www.dmauto.com (516) 822-6662; FAX: (516) 822-5020; E-mail: info@dmauto.com