Friday, August 03, 2007

What is Joseph S. Nye reading?

The current featured contributor to Writers Read: Joseph S. Nye, Jr., the Harvard political scientist.

While I hope this blog encourages readers to pick up a book or two they might otherwise pass by, I more aggressively "promoted" hundreds of copies of Joseph Nye's Understanding International Conflicts (6th. ed.) -- easily the best introduction to understanding international politics available -- back when I taught international relations and compelled my students to read it.

For well over a decade Nye has advocated that America do a better job of using its "soft power" -- "the ability to get what you want by attracting and persuading others to adopt your goals."

Joseph S. Nye Jr., is University Distinguished Service Professor, is also the Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations and former Dean of the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. He received his bachelor's degree summa cum laude from Princeton University, did postgraduate work at Oxford University on a Rhodes Scholarship, and earned a PhD in political science from Harvard. He has served as Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs, Chair of the National Intelligence Council, and Deputy Under Secretary of State for Security Assistance, Science and Technology.

His books include Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics; Understanding International Conflicts (6th edition); The Paradox of American Power: Why the World's Only Superpower Can't Go It Alone; Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of American Power; and The Power Game: A Washington Novel.

Writers Read: Joseph S. Nye.

--Marshal Zeringue