A World Transformed

A World Transformed (Vintage) George Bush and Brent Scowcroft Date: 07 September, 1999   —   $10.88   —   Book product page Rating:

To say this book is slow would be a bit of an understatement. On the other hand, it's well-written and probably the best book out there covering the end of the Cold War.

President George Bush (Sr.) and his National Security Advisor, Brent Scowcroft, tell their version of US foreign policy during the collapse of the Soviet Union, the unification of Germany, Tiananmen Square, and the Gulf War. Two things really struck me about this book: it's probably the last honest memoir we'll see from a President of the United States, and it's very Russia-centric, rather than Middle East-centric (despite a few chapters in the middle on the Gulf War). I guess that's where everyone's head was at before 9/11.

From my point of view, this was a totally non-controversial book. I never had a problem with President Bush (Sr.)'s foreign policy, and he readily admits he just wasn't very interested in domestic policy, which is where I disagreed with him the most. There were some really interesting bits, though.

I found it disturbing, but unsurprising, that then-Secretary of Defense, Dick Cheney, believed the collapse of the Soviet Union was all a Commie trick to get us to drop our guard. Luckily, from the way Bush and Scowcroft tell it, it sounds like nobody in that Bush administration took Cheney very seriously.

Another thing I found interesting was President Bush (Sr.)'s sense of humor. I never knew he had one, so it was a double surprise to find out that it's pretty wicked. For example, at one point, Saddam Hussein drew up charges against President Bush (Sr.) for a "people's court" to try him in absentia in Iraq. In a completely deadpan style, Bush sends a memo to White House Counsel Boyden Gray instructing him to fly to Baghdad to defend him and gives advice for his defense, "I can beat the third 'rap' by citing the UN," Bush writes, but "they can never make rap #4 stick." Bush closes the memo by telling Boyden that "should they not permit you to leave, wire home; and we will have somebody temporarily hold down your job here."

Can you imagine working for the President of the United States, and getting a memo like that? I suspect the poor guy had already bought tickets and finalized his Last Will and Testament before someone had mercy and told him it was a joke.

Anyhow, President Bush (Sr.)'s foreign policy was cautious, prudent, and successful -- everything his son's foreign policy is not. The book is really a blueprint for building a broad, UN-backed coalition to invade a Middle Eastern nation and a how-to guide for managing the transition of a region (in this case, Eastern Europe -- and China, to an extent) from dictatorship to democracy.

Bush (Jr.) could have learned a lot from his old man if he was smart enough to listen.

tags: bush