The Direction of American Power

Abstract

It is worth remembering when considering some of the agonies in the United States about the role of military power and our role in the world, that extensive American involvement with military power is largely a 20th century phenomenon and even when it was only episodic until the post-World War II era. Nations do not quickly put their pasts and traditions behind them, even though in the United States we seem to take to military power with a certain amount of relish from time to time. Indeed, it has often been argued that when we become committed to the use of our military power we sometimes lose political vision and political purpose.

Mr Sonnenfeldt served in the US Government from 1952–77 in a variety of appointments. These included Head of the Office of Research and Analysis for the USSR and Eastern Europe in the Department of State, membership of the National Security Council dealing with US-European and East-West relations, and then Counselor to the Department of State. Address given to the RUSI on 24 June 1982