Background
Nuechterlein, Donald Edwin was born on June 20, 1925 in Saginaw, Michigan, United States. Son of Edwin W. and Laura A. Nuechterlein.
(The Cold War―that long ideological conflict between the w...)
The Cold War―that long ideological conflict between the world's two superpowers―had a profound effect not only on nations but on individuals, especially all those involved in setting and implementing the policies that shaped the struggle. Donald Nuechterlein was one such individual and this is his story. Although based in fact, the narrative reads like fiction, and it takes the reader behind the scenes as no purely factual telling of that complex story can. Presented as the story of David and Helen Bruening and their family, A Cold War Odyssey carries us across three continents. Against a backdrop of national and international events, we follow the Bruenings through five decades as David's governmental and academic assignments take them to all corners of the world. In the tradition of Herman Wouk's Winds of War, the Bruenings' personal and professional odyssey offers us a microcosm of world history in the second half of the twentieth century. Through the acute eyes of these participant observers, we see the partitioning of Europe after World War II, Korea and Vietnam, Watergate and Iran, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany, the collapse of the Soviet Union and, with it, the end of the Cold War. With each succeeding episode, our understanding of the causes and consequences of international struggle is deepened through the Bruenings' experience.
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(Is the United States seriously overcommitted in its world...)
Is the United States seriously overcommitted in its worldwide relationships? Donald Nuechterlein examines the foreign policy priorities of the United States as it enters the latter half of the 1980s and contemplates its future international role; he argues that whether the United States remains a superpower into the twenty-first century depends on how it decides its international priorities in this decade and then marshals its resources to defend and enhance them. The hard decisions needed to establish priorities among United States military and economic commitments abroad must be made if the United States is to remain financially strong and emotionally committed to an international rather than an isolationist foreign policy. In this book the author uses a conceptual framework he developed earlier to assess the nature and intensity of specific challenges to United States national interests. Nuechterlein analyzes seven geographical areas of the world in terms of the United States historical interests and suggests the future degree of interest that should be assigned to them. He also classifies thirty countries, in various parts of the world, in terms of their national interest value to the United States in the coming decade. Finally, he assesses the foreign policies of the Reagan administration in light of national interest priorities. America Overcommitted will be essential reading for makers of American foreign and national security policy, for journalists reporting on international affairs, for scholars seeking better ways to analyze United States foreign policy objectives, and for informed citizens who ask why the United States is involved militarily in all parts of the world. America Overcommitted is thus a guide to better decision making in foreign affairs in this critical decade.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0813115299/?tag=2022091-20
(Although the term national interest has long been used in...)
Although the term national interest has long been used in reference to the foreign policy goals of nations, there has been no generally agreed upon definition of the concept; as a result, Donald E. Nuechterlein contends, there has been a tendency for foreign policy to be determined by institutional prejudice and past policy rather than by a systematic assessment of national interests. By what criterion does a President decide that a given interest is or is not vital-that is, whether he must contemplate defending it by force if other measures fail? In this study Nuechterlein offers a new conceptual framework for the analysis of foreign policy decisions; resting on more precise definitions and distinguishing among the degrees of interest that the United States perceives in the range of foreign policy issues it faces. He also deals with the constitutional problem of checks and balances between the Presidency and Congress in setting the goals of foreign policy, and the influence of private interest groups and the media on the definition of national interest. Underlining the need for constant reassessment of priorities in a rapidly changing international environment, Nuechterlein illustrates his analysis by drawing on the American experience in foreign affairs since World War II. A case study of the American involvement in Southeast Asia describes how six presidents, beginning with Franklin Roosevelt, viewed United States interests there and the conclusions each drew in terms of policy tools to defend those interests in Vietnam. Finally, he assesses what the future vital interests of the United States are likely to be in light of the shifting balance of world power, and the growing importance of international economics.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/081315412X/?tag=2022091-20
( Donald E. Nuechterlein examines George W. Bush’s transf...)
Donald E. Nuechterlein examines George W. Bush’s transformation of American foreign policy and the repercussions for the future. Defiant Superpower recounts how the Bush administration’s bold actions in response to September 11, 2001, toppled the Taliban and displayed American strength. But by 2002, much of the world, including our allies, had become alarmed by American assertiveness, particularly Bush’s proclamation that America would pursue preventative wars to eliminate future threats. The divergence of national interests between the United States and old allies became acute in early 2003 when Germany and France openly rejected U.S. plans to invade Iraq and bring about regime change. While the Bush administration’s defiant and unilateralist policies initially seemed to empower the United States to pursue its national interests, the pitfalls of this new American hegemony are now apparent. Occupying Iraq and engaging in a global "war on terror" are costly, in both human and economic terms, and the United States would benefit from broad-based international cooperation. Will Bush’s reelection mean that the robust hegemony of his first term is here to stay, or will he moderate his style and objectives to mend fences with old allies? Defiant Superpower offers a balanced critique of recent foreign policy and suggests how policymakers should recognize the limits of the new hegemony in order to determine America’s realistic national interests.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1574889486/?tag=2022091-20
Nuechterlein, Donald Edwin was born on June 20, 1925 in Saginaw, Michigan, United States. Son of Edwin W. and Laura A. Nuechterlein.
Bachelor, University Michigan, 1948. Master of Arts, University Michigan, 1949. Doctor of Philosophy, University Michigan, 1959.
Staff officer United States Navy, Bainbridge, Maryland, since 1945, Bremerhaven, Germany, 1946. Staff writer United States Office Military Government, Berlin, 1946-1947. Research officer United States Department State, Washington, 1952-1954.
Information officer United States Embassy, Reykjavik, Iceland, 1954-1956. Staff officer United States Information Agency, Washington, 1957-1960. Cultural attache United States Embassy, Bangkok, 1961-1963.
Senior staff Office Naval Operations, 1964-1965, Office Secretary Defense, Washington, 1965-1968. Professor Federal Executive Institute, Charlottesville, Virginia, 1968-1988. Visiting professor Queen's University, Ontario, Canada, 1989-1990, 92-93, University Kaiserslautern, Germany, 1991-1992, 94-95.
Lecturer international relations United States foreign policy.
(Is the United States seriously overcommitted in its world...)
(The Cold War―that long ideological conflict between the w...)
(Although the term national interest has long been used in...)
(A fine copy in a very good price-clipped dust jacket with...)
( Donald E. Nuechterlein examines George W. Bush’s transf...)
With United States Navy, 1943-1946. Commissioned ensign United States Naval Reserve, 1945. Retired lieutenant Commander United States Naval Reserve, 1968.
Member Charlottesville Committee Foreign Relations, Retired Officers Association Charlottesville, Charlottesville Rotary Club.
Married Mildred University, July 16, 1948. Children: Jan L. Steiert, Jill E. Vosburg, Jeffrey D., Jonathan E.