The prestigious Selous Foundation website posted on June 15, 2017 a review of Richard Hass’s book – “A World in Disarray. American Foreign Policy and the Crisis of the Old Order” – made by Nicholas Dima (who currently lectures and is a contributor to Selous Foundation for Public Policy Research – SFPPR– News & Analysis of the online-conservative-journalism center at the Washington-based SFPPR). SFPPR think tank was founded in 1985 during the height of the President Ronald Reagan years, whose mission is to formulate and promote public policies based on the American values and benefits derived from the Founding Fathers and the Constitution, including limited government, individual liberty, freedom, opportunity, economic prosperity and the primacy of national sovereignty.
Richard Haass has indeed an impressive career as a former U.S. diplomat, a State Department official, and is now President of the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations. His valuable mentioned book was published by Penguin Press (January 10, 2017).
The reviewer, Nicholas Dima, captured as usual the reader’s attention, from the very beginning, with the title of the book review – “Short on real solutions” – gave the essential information about this challenging book written by the President of the Council on Foreign Relations, determining the author’s main ideas and how they are developed, offering the reader some understanding of the author’s thoughts, supporting this documented work’s evaluation with evidence from the text and concluding that: << At the beginning of the 21st Century we do have global knowledge, but we have neither a global government, nor sufficient leaders with clout and global consciousness. Consequently, the world has a lot of gray areas where major regional powers make the rules or interpret them at will. There is a big gap these days between what is desirable and what is possible. In Haass’ opinion ‘this gap is one of the principal reasons for the disarray that exists in the world.’ (p.150) An old adage says that sometime we do too little too late. In this case the author tries to do too much too early. The world is not ready. We have not acquired, yet, global consciousness and perhaps we never will. >>
Link: http://sfppr.org/2017/06/short-on-real-solutions/
A strong advocate of freedom of learning, of education, of seeking knowledge, Nicholas Dima – visiting professor at the Romanian-American University – could not let pass such a significant book without commenting it in his inimitable style. His American professional career (he received a doctoral degree from Columbia University in New York) includes working 20 years for Voice of America (VOA) in Washington, and teaching college, university and US Military schools for another ten years. Among his most rewarding achievements were meeting Kings, Presidents, and Prime ministers as a VOA reporter and editor, teaching American officers up to the rank of full colonel (for example, Professor and Director for European Studies at the US Army, J.F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School, Fort Bragg, NC., 1985-1988), teaching in the US and Africa, and promoting democracy, education, and human values world-wide. All this time, Dr. Dima defended tirelessly the rights of Romania and the Romanian people in the US and promoted a better Romanian-American understanding. Dr. Dima also helped the cause of the Romanian-American University in the US and contributed to its cooperation with James Mason University of Virginia. He has received numerous Academic Honors, Grants, and Awards.