The Lessons of Tragedy : Statecraft and World Order / Hal Brands, Charles Edel.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brands, Hal, Author.

Edel, Charles N., 1979- Author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political science.

United States--Foreign relations.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (216 p.)

Place of Publication:

New Haven, CT : Yale University Press, [2019]

Language Note:

In English.

Summary:

The ancient Greeks hard†'wired a tragic sensibility into their culture. By looking disaster squarely in the face, by understanding just how badly things could spiral out of control, they sought to create a communal sense of responsibility and courage-to spur citizens and their leaders to take the difficult actions necessary to avert such a fate. Today, after more than seventy years of great†'power peace and a quarter†'century of unrivaled global leadership, Americans have lost their sense of tragedy. They have forgotten that the descent into violence and war has been all too common throughout human history. This amnesia has become most pronounced just as Americans and the global order they created are coming under graver threat than at any time in decades. In a forceful argument that brims with historical sensibility and policy insights, two distinguished historians argue that a tragic sensibility is necessary if America and its allies are to address the dangers that menace the international order today. Tragedy may be commonplace, Brands and Edel argue, but it is not inevitable-so long as we regain an appreciation of the world's tragic nature before it is too late.

Contents:

Frontmatter

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

One. The Virtues of Tragedy

Two. Tragedy as the Norm

Three. Tragedy as Inspiration

Four. The Great Escape

Five. The Contemporary Amnesia

Six. The Darkening Horizon

Seven. Rediscovering Tragedy

Notes

Index

Notes:

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 06. Apr 2020)

ISBN:

0-300-24492-4

OCLC:

1083671070