The Lessons of Tragedy

In this spare, almost mathematical primer, Hal Brands and Charles Edel deliver a rebuke to complacency and a defense of constructive pessimism in the service of America's engagement with the world. --Robert D. Kaplan, author of The Return of Marco Polo's World: War, Strategy, and American Interests in the Twenty-first Century Hal Brands and Charles Edel have written a crucial reminder that being so safe so long has dulled our imagination of how dangerous and destructive the alternatives are to the `flawed masterpiece' of post-World War II order the U.S. created. Read this to relish two fine minds expertly marshaling 5,000 years of western culture to motivate our communal resolve to preserve the liberal international order. What an education! --Kori Schake, author of Safe Passage: The Transition from British to American Hegemony Brands and Edel show that the tragedy of international relations is not, as some would argue, that nations are doomed to war-but rather that war comes when leaders and the public fail to learn from the past how to preserve the peace. This is a compelling account of the dangers of historical amnesia at time when many question the need for sustained U.S. global leadership. The Return of Tragedy does more than warn of the dangers; it draws on the demonstrable achievements of past U.S. statecraft to chart a more hopeful course for the future. - James B. Steinberg, Professor at Syracuse University and former Deputy Secretary of State This powerful book by two of America's most brilliant historians and theorists of grand strategy writing at the top of their game provides a timely reminder that the history of international relations has been replete with catastrophes and costly disasters. -Eric Edelman, former Ambassador to Turkey, Finland and Under Secretary of Defense for Policy 2005-2009 This compact, engaging and evocative volume packs a sharp, lasting punch. It is one part description of the importance tragedies played in Greek life; one part history of the evolution of international orders, and the tragedies that followed their collapse; one part explanation of how the post-World War II international order was painstakingly constructed by the United States and its allies, at great cost; and one part warning that this international order, which has resulted in unprecedented global freedom and prosperity, is now under great pressure and assault. Brands and Edel argue persuasively for a return to the tragic sensibility that spurred the creation of all previous international orders. The unifying theme is that the current order, for all its warts, is the best of any alternative, and the cost of maintaining it pales in comparison to the tragedy and costs that would follow its collapse-making the burdens to maintain it worth it. Reading TheReturn of Tragedy would benefit politicians, national security professionals, and civilians alike-in the same way that the great theatrical tragedies benefited ancient Greece society. I cannot recommend it highly enough. - Robert Work