Tension Between Opposites: Reflections on the Practice and Theory of Politics

This slim volume by one of the veterans of the Cold War gets off to a promising start: "It is my view that most of what has been written and taught under the heading 'political science' by Americans since World War II has been contrary to experience and common sense. It has also been of limited value, if not counterproductive, as a guide to the actual conduct of foreign policy." But after some sage, though hardly surprising, bits of advice, the book becomes a series of brief sketches of the public service of such men as Harry Truman, George Marshall, and George Shultz, occasionally enlivened by an arresting anecdote involving Nitze.