Bipolar World

Thursday 14th July, 2011

Kagan, R. (2003) Paradise and Power – America and Europe in the New World order. 

For my first class in ‘International Politics in a Global Age’ Dr. Philip Towle taught us. The subject for this class was ‘The new world order in 1945 and 1991’ and ‘The bipolar world’. Dr. Towle is the longest serving member of staff at the Cambridge Centre for International Relations. He has previously worked for Reuters and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. He is extremely British!

One of the books on our reading list was ‘Paradise and Power – America and Europe in the New World order’.  I found some of the ideas in this book very interesting.

This book explains that the UN Security Council was designed by the United States to give the five “great powers” of the post war era sole authority to decide what was and was not legitimate action in the international arena.

At the time that this book was written, the Security Council contained only one “great power”, the United States. Today, China is obviously also a great power, however this book was discussing the current cynical view in American strategic circles that the Europeans have simply enjoyed the “free ride” they have gotten under the American security umbrella over the past six decades.

The book also goes on the claim that Europeans today have moved away from their ambition for power, particularly military power, which they obviously had in their colonial days, but goes on to say that over the past half-century, Europeans have developed a different perspective on the role of power in international relations, (a perspective that springs directly from their unique historical experience since the end of WW1). Kagan claims that they have rejected the power politics that have brought them so much misery over the past century and more, and that this is a perspective that Americans do not and cannot share…

…This book also argues that Europeans speak with great confidence of the superiority of their global understanding, (as Americans have for two centuries) of the wisdom they have to offer other nations about conflict resolution. An interesting argument within the book can be seen through this tongue in cheek quote:

 ‘Given America’s willingness to spend so much money protecting them, Europeans would rather spend their own money on social welfare programs, long vacations and shorter workweeks. ‘

The whole book generally highlights that America's preeminent global position has thrust it into a dangerous world of terrorist threats and made it more willing to use force, whereas Europe seeks peace through law and diplomacy. It uses an insightful metaphor: If you have a hammer, you are more likely to see every threat as a nail.

There is also another quote that I found interesting about the current world order, which suggests that life is not so fun at the top.

“Americans are “cowboys” Europeans love to say. And there is truth in this. The United States does act as an international sheriff, self-appointed perhaps but widely welcomed nevertheless, trying to enforce some peace and justice in what Americans see as a lawless world where outlaws need to be deterred or destroyed, often though the muzzle of a gun. Europe, by this Wild West analogy, is more like the saloonkeeper. Outlaws shoot sheriffs, not saloonkeepers. In fact, from the saloonkeeper’s point of view, the sheriff trying to impose order by force can sometimes be more threatening than the outlaws, who, at least for the time being, may just want a drink.”