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Title: Around the Cragged Hill: A Personal and Political Philosophy by George Frost Kennan ISBN: 0-393-31145-7 Publisher: W.W. Norton & Company Pub. Date: May, 1994 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $12.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 3.67 (3 reviews)
Rating: 4
Summary: Kennan proposes a "supreme court" for public policy
Comment: George F. Kennan, a former ambassador to the Soviet Union, looks back at the 20th century and concludes that the US needs a group of senior advisors to guide US policy. The Council, as he calls it, would be appointed by the President from a list of nominated names, perhaps two from each state. This list would be a role of honor -- just being nominated would be considered to be an honor higher than the Congressional medal of Honor.
Nine people chosen from the list would serve, as the Supreme Court does, for life or until they are seen to be unfit or until they resign. A salary would keep these Council members independent from Congress or President, since they would have a budget to 1) investigate leading questions of the day and 2) implement their suggestions on a trial basis. For example, the COuncil might conclude that donating needs to drug addicts would reduce the spread of AIDs and they could run a trial to test their conclusion. Estimated budget might run $10 million a year.
The focus of his proposal is on the wisdom of experience. People who have seen so much over 40 or 50 years of public service could be called on to give their view of an issue....and the Country would benefit from this experience.
Kennan is still alive (as of August 1998) and he welcomes response to his proposal. I met him in June 1998 and at that time he expressed dismay that not one major book reviewer took his proposal seriously. He's a member of the Princeton Class of 1925, making him 95 years young this year. If you read the book and find it interesting, I"m sure he would appreciate a letter or a postcard with you comments: you can contact him through the University:
George F. Kennan Class of 1925 Alumni Office Princeton University Nassau Street Princeton, NJ 08540
Even after his passing, his family will no doubt appreciate learning that his writings have made a difference. Join him on that cragged hill and you will see the world and its future in a different way.
reviewed by Steve McCrea '81
Rating: 4
Summary: A rare opportunity to converse with a very wise man.
Comment: George Kennan is a rare commodity--an extremely intelligent, literate man who possesses a broad and encompassing view of life and the world at large and who has devoted his life to public service without desire for recognition or acclaim. This book gives the reader an opportunity to participate in his musings and to experience clear-eyed and patriotic visions reminiscent of Jefferson.
Rating: 3
Summary: Not Just for Kennan Fans
Comment: Not only students of Kennan's foreign policy writings will get something out of this book. The topics are wide-ranging, and the observations are thought-provoking. I especially enjoyed his thoughts on our addiction to automobiles. One criticism is the writing style, which is generally stuffy and verbose. (For example: "But what, to me, distinguishes this Spirit from the all-powerful Deity of established Christian doctrine is precisely the fact that the Spirit bears, in my view, no responsibility for the natural order of things in which the human individual is compelled to live.") Nevertheless this is a worthwhile book.
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Title: Memoirs by George F. Kennan ISBN: 0394716248 Publisher: Pantheon Books Pub. Date: 12 August, 1983 List Price(USD): $25.00 |
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Title: Memoirs : 1950-1963 by George F. Kennan ISBN: 0394716264 Publisher: Pantheon Books Pub. Date: 12 August, 1983 List Price(USD): $15.95 |
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Title: Does America Need a Foreign Policy? : Toward a Diplomacy for the 21st Century by Henry Kissinger ISBN: 0684855682 Publisher: Simon & Schuster Pub. Date: 04 September, 2002 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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