The Dawn of Peace in Europe: A Twentieth Century Fund Book

Certain to be an important point of reference in future debates on the mission and structure of NATO, Michael Mandelbaum's The Dawn of Peace in Europe lays out a clear and conservative vision for the future of the Atlantic alliance. Mandelbaum squarely challenges the two major movements for restructuring NATO, both of which have been limitedly pursued by the Clinton Administration: the first is the movement toward NATO-led "out of area" missions, such as deployments in Bosnia or other global hot-spots; the second, the expansion of NATO to the east, bringing nations such as Poland, Hungary, and the Czech Republic into the alliance. Mandelbaum argues that both of these are bad ideas, the first unattainable, the second undesirable. Instead, he contends the alliance should hold to its 16 members and resist calls for extra-territorial missions. Mandelbaum's contrarian arguments are developed with clear exposition, drawing examples from recent foreign relations, as well as military history. This is an important and timely analysis of American foreign policy and the future of NATO.