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Paul Wolfowitz and the promise of American power, 1969–2001

David Milne

in American Foreign Policy: Studies in Intellectual History

The study of foreign policy and international relations often takes ideas as rigid and fully formed, being assigned to individuals and categories of school without much attention to the processes by ... More

The study of foreign policy and international relations often takes ideas as rigid and fully formed, being assigned to individuals and categories of school without much attention to the processes by which they change calibre and gain or lose traction. David Milne’s politico-intellectual biography of Paul Wolfowitz from 1969 until he took up service in the administration of George W. Bush focuses precisely on the vagaries as well as the consistencies in the evolution of his thought. Many of the shifts and deepening convictions derived, of course, form the experience of observing and implementing US policy in the latter stages of the Vietnam War and thereafter. Milne takes us through the phases of Wolfowitz’s political evolution up to the moment of 9/11, showing that the “War on Terror” cannot simply be attributed to the trauma of that event; there were many existing tributaries that played into the Bush doctrine, and these have not always been given the recognition they deserve.Less

Into the New Millennium

in Behind the Development Banks: Washington Politics, World Poverty, and the Wealth of Nations

This chapter examines the developments in U.S. multilateral development bank (MDB) policy during the George W. Bush administration and argues that, the spectacular rise and fall of Paul Wolfowitz at ... More

This chapter examines the developments in U.S. multilateral development bank (MDB) policy during the George W. Bush administration and argues that, the spectacular rise and fall of Paul Wolfowitz at the World Bank aside, the Bush team's policies were mostly quite continuous with the past. It also reviews the main arguments of the book and their implications for the future of the MDBs. The foreign policy program, neoliberal economic policy program, performance-based management, and compassionate conservatism are the four elements of the Bush administration's overall policy program that were significant in shaping its MDB agenda. Increased congressional interest in the MDBs made the United States into the banks' leading activist shareholder. Through an application of the principles of transparency and accountability to MDB shareholders, the banks could become more responsive to the publics around the world that are affected by their ideas and activities.Less