Magic and Mayhem: The Delusions of American Foreign Policy From Korea to Afghanistan
"A great book. It not only makes a powerful case but is thoroughly entertaining, brimming with colorful anecdotes and wonderful portraits. It is a joy to read!"—Liaquat Ahamed, Author Of Lords Of Finance" "Leebaert's stinging critique of American hubris and wishful thinking is a must-read for concerned citizens and policymakers alike."—Publishers Weekly(starred)" "A brilliant, blistering indictment of the quackery that passes for statecraft in Washington and of the glib, opinionated...
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AFGHANISTAN AND IRAQ are the latest in a string of blunders that includes Vietnam and an unintended war with China from 1950 to ’53, those four fiascoes being just the worst moments in nearly a lifetime of false urgencies, intelligence failures, grandiose designs, and stereotyping of enemies and allies alike. America brought down the Soviet empire at the cold war’s most dangerous juncture, but even that victory was surrounded by myths, such as the conviction that we can easily shape the destinies of other people. Magic and Mayhem is a strikingly original, closely informed investigation of two generations of America’s avoidable failures. In a perfectly timed narrative, Derek Leebaert reveals the common threads in these serial letdowns and in the consequences that await. He demonstrates why the most enterprising and innovative nation in history keeps mishandling its gravest politico-military dealings abroad and why well-credentialed men and women, deemed brilliant when they arrive in Washington, consistently end up leading the country into folly. Misjudgments of this scale arise from a pattern of self-deception best described as "magical thinking." When we think magically, we conjure up beliefs that everyone wants to be like us, that America can accomplish anything out of sheer righteousness, and that our own wizardly policymakers will enable gigantic desires like "transforming the Middle East" to happen fast. Mantras of "stability" or "democracy" get substituted for reasoned reflection. Faith is placed in high-tech silver bullets, whether drones over Pakistan or helicopters in Vietnam. Leebaert exposes these magical notions by using new archival material, exclusive interviews, his own insider experiences, and portraits of the men and women who have succumbed: George Kennan, Henry Kissinger, Robert McNamara, Donald Rumsfeld, Dick Cheney, and Presidents Kennedy, Carter, and George W. Bush all appear differently in the light of magic, as do wise men from Harvard, Georgetown, Stanford, and think tanks such as RAND and Brookings, as well as influential players from the media and, occasionally, the military, including General David Petraeus as he personifies the nation’s latest forays into counterinsurgency. Magic and Mayhem offers vital insights as to how Americans imagine, confront, and even invite danger. Only by understanding the power of illusion can we break the spell, and then better apply America’s enduring strengths in a world that will long need them. The Washington Post - Robert G. Kaiser How refreshing to read a smart, polemical book that is deliciously rude to many grand poohbahs of our time while making good sense about the mess the United States now finds itself in across the globe. On these grounds alone Derek Leebaert deserves our gratitude. But with Magic and Mayhem, he performs a greater service by ringing a persuasive alarm bell about the dangers inherent in our repeated attempts to put things right in countries we don't really understand and cannot control, from Korea six decades ago to Afghanistan right now. And he does it without any of the ideological tendentiousness so typical of our public debate these days.
Introduction 11 Sources Of Magic 92 Emergency Men 373 The Mystique Of American Management 754 Star Power 1135 A World To Be Labeled, Not Understood 1516 Myths Of History 1877 We'll Show Them The Light 225Conclusion: Finding Our Better Angels 257Acknowledgments 277Notes 279Index 325
\ Publishers WeeklyWashington's "magical thinking" reliably leads the U.S. into catastrophe, argues this unsparing indictment of American foreign policy. Georgetown foreign relations professor Leebaert (To Dare and to Conquer) analyzes the follies and failures of "emergency men," the political appointees, intellectuals, and policy entrepreneurs of the national security establishment, from the Best and Brightest architects of the Vietnam debacle to the neo-con masterminds of the Iraq War. He traces their misadventures to deep-rooted, delusional mental habits: an infatuation with vigor and boldness; an overconfidence in miracle technologies, managerial techniques, and far-fetched historical analogies; a near-total ignorance of foreign cultures coupled with a certainty that they can be fine-tuned to specification. Leebaert combines trenchant analyses of geo-strategic blunders--from military disasters in the Korean War to the morally disastrous use of torture in the fight against terrorism--with acid-etched profiles of the leaders who committed them. (His portrait of Henry Kissinger as a publicity hound who "excelled at putting an intellectual twist on bad ideas" is especially vicious.) Written in a lively, pungent prose that's full of sharp-eyed insights, Leebaert's stinging critique of American hubris and wishful thinking is a must-read for concerned citizens and policy-makers alike. (Sept. 7)\ \ \ \ \ Robert G. KaiserHow refreshing to read a smart, polemical book that is deliciously rude to many grand poohbahs of our time while making good sense about the mess the United States now finds itself in across the globe. On these grounds alone Derek Leebaert deserves our gratitude. But with Magic and Mayhem, he performs a greater service by ringing a persuasive alarm bell about the dangers inherent in our repeated attempts to put things right in countries we don't really understand and cannot control, from Korea six decades ago to Afghanistan right now. And he does it without any of the ideological tendentiousness so typical of our public debate these days.\ —The Washington Post\ \ \ From the Publisher“How refreshing to read a smart, polemical book that is deliciously rude to many grand poohbahs of our time while making good sense about the mess the United States now finds itself in across the globe… Derek Leebaert deserves our gratitude. With Magic and Mayhem, he rings a persuasive alarm bell about the dangers inherent in our repeated attempts to put things right in countries we don’t really understand and cannot control, from Korea to Afghanistan. . . . Lively and engaging, in no way a policy wonk’s tome.”\ —Robert G. Kaiser, The Washington Post\ “A must-read.”\ —Richmond Times Dispatch\ \ \
