The Streit Council

Richard T. Arndt, First Resort of Kings: American Cultural Diplomacy in the Twentieth Century, Potomac Books, 2005

During the last five decades, US cultural diplomacy programs have withered because of politics and accidents of history that have subordinated cultural diplomacy to public relations campaigning, now called “public diplomacy.” With anti-Americanism on the rise worldwide, cultural diplomacy should become an immediate priority, but politicians continue to ignore this relatively inexpensive, age-old tool for promoting understanding among nations. Richard Arndt probes the history of American cultural diplomacy to demonstrate its valuable past contributions and to make a plea for reviving it for the future.

Cultural relations occur naturally between people in different nations as a result of trade, tourism, student exchanges, entertainment, communications, migration, intermarriage-millions of cross-cultural encounters. But cultural diplomacy only happens when a government decides to channel and to support cultural exchange through planned programs to promote broad national interests. The First Resort of Kings examines the first eight decades of formal US cultural diplomacy, from its tentative beginnings in World War I through the 1990s. Arndt also compares America 's efforts with those of other nations and enriches his narrative by detailing the professional experiences of the men and women who have represented American democracy, education, intellect, art, and literature to the rest of the world. His work shows that this dialogue of American culture and education with the rest of the world is neither a frill nor a domestic political concern but is the deepest cornerstone of a positive, forward-looking US foreign policy. Arndt argues that, particularly in the wake of the Iraq War, America must revive its cultural diplomacy programs as a long-term investment in international goodwill and understanding.

Donald Philips Dennis, Foreign Policy in a Democracy: The Role of the Foreign Policy Association, New York FPA, 2003

This history of the Foreign Policy Association was written to provide a narrative of its origins and early years and of its development throughout the twentieth century and into the twenty-first. It is a compelling story of extraordinary individuals devoted to an exceptional cause. From its inception in 1918 as the “Committee on Nothing at All” with its goal of bringing about United States Participation in the League of Nations , the Association evolved to encompass a constituency of thousands of individuals across the nation.

James G. McGann, Erik C. Johnson, Comparative Think Tanks, Politics and Public Policy, Edward Elgar Pub, March 2006

James G. McGann is Senior Fellow and Director of the Think Tanks and Civil Societies Program at the Foreign Policy Research Institute and Assistant Professor of Political Science at Villanova University, US. Erik C. Johnson is Knowledge Management Officer at the World Bank Institute, US.

Contents: 1. Introduction 2. Think Tanks and Governance 3. Think Tanks, Politics and Public Policy in the Americas 4. Comparative Politics and Policy Advice in Europe 5. Comparative Politics and Policy Advice in the Asia Pacific Region 6. Comparative Politics and Policy Advice in Africa 7. Comparative Politics and Policy Advice in the Middle East 8. Concluding Remarks 9. Data Appendix

Independent institutes conducting policy research, analysis and public dialogue, or think tanks? as they are more commonly known, are one of the leading catalysts for ideas and action in civil societies around the world. Examining the role of think tanks in the policy formulation process, this groundbreaking study provides the first systematically comparative and methodologically rigorous map of such organizations and the social, political, legal and economic conditions that shape their work.Once found only in advanced industrial democracies, think tanks now provide information and advice for policymakers in countries as diverse as India, Lebanon, Chile, Bulgaria, Germany, Senegal and Thailand. Using case studies of 20 countries across five regions of the world (Africa, the Middle East, the Americas, Europe and Asia), James McGann and Erik Johnson explore how the environments in which think tanks operate serve to expand or constrict their autonomy and influence. They also suggest ways donors, policymakers and international organizations can ensure the viability and sustainability of these important organizations.
With incisive analysis and cogent recommendations for how to seed and sustain independent think tanks around the world, this volume will be of great interest to those involved with think tanks themselves, as well as public policy and political science scholars, international development agencies and policymakers around the world. The Comparative dimensions of the book will have considerable appeal among students of comparative politics, public policy and international affairs.

Tiziana Stella, Origins of Atlanticism: The Atlantic Idea and its Implications for Russia-NATO Relations, Saint-Petersburg State University Press

An enlargement of the Atlantic system toward the East, to encompass all of Europe understood as inclusive of Russia, despite seeming like a completely new issue after 1989, had in fact been anticipated long before. It had played an integral part in the creation and development of the Atlantic insti- tutions. The comprehension of these deeper roots can widen our conception of the nature of Atlanticism and provide broader foundations for dealing with current problems.
In the existing public perception in the West, the term Atlanticism is either completely unknown or else is reduced to NATO. In the East, a bit paradoxi-cally, the public seems readier to recognize what one refers to by Atlanticism, only to find that there too the public tends to equate it with NATO. However, its enemies in the East, such as Alexander Dugin, tend to have a much deeper, if somewhat skewed, awareness of the breadth of this phenomenon than do its friends.
Because the term Atlanticism tends to evoke immediately NATO, and be- cause NATO is generally associated with the idea of the Cold War, Atlan- ticism has been confined often in a too narrow contextualization. This in turn has affected the range of future scenarios envisioned for NATO, both in its internal development and in its external relations, or in the dialectic growth of the two through enlargement.

Stanley R. Sloan, NATO, The European Union, and the Atlantic Community : The Transatlantic Bargain Challenged, Rowman and Littlefield, August 28, 2005

Book Description
Now fully revised and updated, this accessible and astute text provides a full interpretive history of the transatlantic alliance and explores critical developments in U.S.European relations. The first edition highlighted the dangers that U.S. foreign-policy unilateralism could pose for the relationship, a trend that has only intensified over the past few years. Stanley R. Sloan documents and analyzes the substantial ongoing record of U.S. unilateralism and its consequences as the transatlantic and intra-European debate over Iraq produced deep splits among the allies and seriously eroded European trust in U.S. leadership. Ironically, at the same time, the United States and Europe have made historic choices concerning NATO's future, not only continuing the process of enlarging alliance membership but also expanding the concept of NATO's missions to include peacekeeping and enforcement without geographic limitation. Sloan also enlarges on his ideas for a new Euro-Atlantic pact, a call that has now been echoing in both European and American quarters. Assessing both the good and bad news for the alliance, this book remains a central text for college and university courses on U.S.-European relations and transatlantic security issues and thought-provoking reading for all citizens concerned about future US foreign policy and Europe's role in it.

-- engaging and understandable for the non-expert
-- objective, non-partisan approach
-- written by one of the leading interpreters of transatlantic relations
-- ideal for courses in international security and U.S. foreign policy and U.S.-European relations

About the Author
Stanley Sloan is the founding Director of the Atlantic Community Initiative, a Visiting Scholar at the Rohatyn Center for International Affairs at Middlebury College , and President of VIC – Vermont , a private consulting firm. He is associated with the Swiss-based Strategy Consulting Partners and Associates (SCPA). His new book, NATO, the European Union and the Atlantic Community: The Transatlantic Bargain Reconsidered, was published by Rowman and Littlefield in November 2002. Mr. Sloan was educated at the University of Maine (BA), Columbia 's School of International Affairs (MIA), and American University ’s School of International Service . He is a Distinguished Graduate of the Air Force Officers' Training School and served as a commissioned officer in the United States Air Force. Stan began his more than three decades of public service at the Central Intelligence Agency in 1967, serving as NATO and European Community desk officer, member of the U.S. Delegation to the Negotiations on Mutual and Balanced Force Reductions, and as Deputy National Intelligence Officer for Western Europe . Stan was employed by the Congressional Research Service from 1975-1999. In April 1999, he retired from his position as Senior Specialist in International Security Policy. Mr. Sloan's books and monographs include NATO and Transatlantic Relations in the 21 st Century: Crisis, Continuity or Change? (Foreign Policy Association, October 2002); The United States and European Defence (Chaillot Paper, Western European Union Institute, April 2000); The Foreign Policy Struggle – Congress and the President in the 1990s and Beyond [with Mary Locke and Casimir Yost] (Georgetown University Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, January 2000); The U.S. Role in the 21 st Century World: Toward a New Consensus? (Foreign Policy Association, October 1997); NATO’s Future: Beyond Collective Defense (McNair Paper, National Defense University Press, December 1995), NATO in the 1990s (editor) (Pergamon-Brassey's, 1989), Conventional Arms Control and Europe's Future (Foreign Policy Association, March 1989) and NATO's Future: Toward a New Transatlantic Bargain (National Defense University Press, 1985, and Macmillan, 1986). Mr. Sloan has also authored numerous articles and studies on foreign and defense policy issues. Stan has lectured widely on US foreign and security policy and Euro-Atlantic security issues in Europe and the United States . He has been a frequent presenter at the NATO College in Rome , the Geneva Center for Security Policy, the Wilton Park conference center, dozens of international conferences, and for US public diplomacy program in many countries.

James Robert Huntley, Pax Democratica : A Strategy for the 21st Century, Palgrave Macmillan, April, 2001

Book Description
James Huntley argues that an international regime in which all democracies, great and small, combine to set the tone and develop the framework for lasting peace, global prosperity, and the protection of civil and political rights, is needed. After a turbulent century characterized by vast bloodshed, but also by the spread of democratic government and humane values, the great democracies--led by Britain, France, Germany, Japan, and the United States--need to form an Intercontinental Community of Democracies--a Pax Democratica. An intercontinental, integrated community of democracies, based on experiments such as EU and NATO, could serve as a political and economic backbone for the world, and as a lasting alternative to imperial rule or multipolar Realpolitck. This book explains how this community can be brought about, and why it should be done.

About the Author
Jim Robert Huntley, a retired U.S. diplomat, is a native of Washington State . A specialist in world politics and economics, he concentrates on the highly-developed industrial democracies of North America , Europe , and East Asia . He is an authority on international cooperation and integration, as well as political stability. He was an officer of the Foreign Service during the creative years after World War II, when such bodies as the European Community, NATO, GATT, and the OECD emerged as the chief links smoothing the way for trade and tying the Western community together. After leaving the diplomatic corps, he was a founder of the Atlantic Institute of International Affairs in Paris and was later on the staff of the Ford Foundation. For ten years he was a Fellow of the Battelle Memorial Institute in Seattle and its chief adviser on international affairs. He headed an international education program in England and has served as a consultant on international trade, investment, and political affairs in the U.K. , Washington D.C. , and Seattle . His last position, before returning to Seattle in 1986, was President of the Atlantic Council of the United States . Mr. Huntley has lectured widely, in Europe , Japan , the United States and Canada . In 1979 he prepared (with a team of experts) an extensive "future study" of the world economy in the 1980s for Battelle and a number of its corporate clients; this tied together energy, environment, trade and investment flows, the EC, international security and politics. His other works include Europe and America: the Next Ten Years (1970) and Uniting the Democracies (1980). His latest book, Pax Democratica, published in 1998 by Macmillan Ltd., charts expected future developments in world economics and politics. For over 40 years, he has authored numerous articles for US and European publications on these subjects. Mr. Huntley holds a B.A. degree in Economics and Sociology from the University of Washington . He also has a M.A. in International Relations from Harvard University . He speaks and writes fluently French and German. He is also conversational in Italian, Swedish and Japanese.

Ettore Greco, "Italy's European Vocation: The Foreign Policy of the new Prodi Government", US-Europe Analysis Series, August 2006, The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC

No one was surprised when Italy's new resident of the Republic, Giorgio Napolitano, made his first major public appearance on May 21 on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the death of Altiero Spinelli. Spinelli was an ardent theoretician and tireless promoter of European integration and one of the most venerated icons of European federalists. Italy's new center-left coalition, which elected Mr. Napolitano on May 10, has made the re-launch of Italy's role within the EU the centerpiece of its foreign policy program. This European vocation is reflected in the composition of the new cabinet led by Romano Prodi which took office on May 17. It includes several prominent figures on the European stage, including: Minister of Finance Tommaso Padoa Schioppa, a former member of the executive board of the European central bank; Minister of the Interior, Giuliano Amato, who was one of the architects of the EU's draft constitutional treaty; and the Minister for European Affairs, Emma Bonino, a former European commissioner. With the support of this team, Prodi, who himself was president of the European Commission from 1999 to 2004, hopes to bring the country back onto the center stage of European politics.
In Prodi's view, his predecessor, Silvio Berlusconi, departed from a well-established pro-Europe foreign policy tradition that dates back to Alcide de Gasperi, Italy's eight-time prime minister in the post-Second War World period. Berlusconi never considered the EU a priority. He preferred to concentrate on consolidating his government's relationship with the Bush administration as well as on cultivating his personal ties with top world leaders. His center-right government took a lukewarm, and sometimes openly hostile, stance on several proposals to deepen European integration. Read More

About the Author
Ettore Greco is Deputy Director of the Istituto Affari Internazionali (Rome), and currently a visiting Fellow at the Brookings Institution (Washington, DC). He is an expert in Transatlantic relations, EU foreign and security policy, EU’s enlargement and constitutional reform, Balkan issues and Italy ’s foreign policy. He received his MA from the University of Pisa. Previously he served as Head of the program on Central/Eastern Europe and Russia at the Istituto Affari Internazionali, Visiting Fellow at the WEU Institute for Security Studies (Paris), Visiting fellow at the Stiftung Wissenschaft und Politik (Berlin). His publications include: “Fifteen Proposals for a Bipartisan European Policy in Italy ”, with T. P. Schioppa and S. Silvestri, in The International Spectator ; “Nuclear Non-Proliferation: The Transatlantic Debate”, with R. Alcaro, and G. Gasparini, in Quaderni IAI (February 2006); “The International Role of the European Union ”, ed. with R. Balfour (Gaeta: Artistic Publishing Company, 2003), and “CFSP Reform and Transatlantic Relations”, in Connections (September 2003).

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