Bridging the Foreign Policy Divide is an outgrowth of a Stanley Foundation initiative bringing together foreign policy and national security specialists from across the political spectrum to find common ground on ten key, controversial areas of policy. For each topic, a conservative and a progressive expert, some of the leading thinkers of their generation, jointly author a chapter outlining their points of agreement on such subjects as the use of force, democracy promotion, countering terrorism, detainee treatment, China, and national defense.
As in the wider political arena, two-dimensional images of progressive and conservative views on national security are major obstacles to the search for new ideas and solutions. In Bridging the Foreign Policy Divide, leading analysts will help build a more constructive debate by looking past philosophical differences and identifying effective approaches to the major national security challenges confronting the United States. The project gives experts an opportunity to examine politically sensitive issues on the merits and resist the distortions and oversimplifications of today's polarizing environment.
Industry Reviews
'"Bridging the Foreign Policy Divide "should be required reading for every foreign policy expert and campaign advisor in the 2008 elections - indeed for the presidential candidates themselves. The authors set out to tackle some of the hardest foreign policy issues facing our nation. This volume identifies and grapples with fundamental differences in how many groups of Americans view the world, yet nevertheless establishes enough common ground to move the debate from partisanship to actual policies.' - "Anne-Marie Slaughter, Dean, Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University" 'Bridges are important to build and to maintain. Read this book and learn important lessons.' - "George Shultz, Distinguished Fellow, Hoover Institution, and former U.S. Secretary of State (1982-89)" 'With the onset of the '08 presidential election, there's a lot of talk about the need for 'civil debate.' But what the country really needs is new ideas that draw from the clear thinking on both sides of the partisan divide. That's why "Bridging the Foreign Policy Divide" is such a valuable -- and timely -- contribution. Its editors and authors have set aside their ideological banners, put their heads together rather than butting them, and come up with some imaginative ways of tackling the toughest problems the nation and the world face. Let's hope the candidates -- and voters--are listening.' - "Strobe Talbott, President, The Brookings Institution, and former U.S. Deputy Secretary of State (1994-2001)" '...serious and thoughtful efforts to escape the dead-end confrontations that now pass for foreign-policy debate in Washington. Occasionally the authors agree to disagree ... but mostly the authors [find] common ground, frequently on creative suggestions with potential appeal in both parties.' - "Ronald Brownstein, The Los Angeles Times"
