Six Moments of Crisis
Inside British Foreign Policy
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Oxford University Press
Published:5th Jun '14
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- Hardback£22.99(9780199583751)
Former Whitehall insider Gill Bennett unravels the story of six crucial British foreign policy challenges since the Second World War, from the Korean War to the Falklands conflict, offering an inside account of episodes that shaped Britain's position in the world for decades to come - and in some cases still arouse controversy to this day. Lifting the lid on the making of British foreign policy from Clement Attlee to Margaret Thatcher, Bennett reveals each decision in a way that has never been done before: telling the story from the inside out and without hindsight. The result is a book that explains not just why these controversial decisions were taken, but one that shows us how history is actually made - and also just how difficult these big decisions really were. Gill Bennett considers exactly what ministers knew at the time; how personal experience, relationships, past events and prevailing circumstance influenced the decision-making process; and how the balance of history was tipped in each case: by argument, moral imperative, obligation - or even sheer force of personality.
Gill Bennett possesses a very special gift. She can make old documents live and breathe. In this fine study she takes us into Number 10 and the Cabinet room and we are literally transported - we can see and hear the people, feel the tension, and hear the arguments. * Peter Hennessy *
Impressive. This is a portrait of a formerly great power wrestling with decline. * Douglas Hurd, the New Statesman *
Bennett's book is a living example of the importance of history, not just in the context of how and why these decisions were made, but in providing a guide to the complex, and at times misleading phrase: 'lessons of history'. * Keith Simpson, Total Politics *
Fascinating. * Philip Stephens, the Financial Times *
[A] masterly study... Besides providing many insights into leading policy-makers, Gill Bennett covers six major 'moments of crisis' spread over a period of more than 30 years in only 175 pages of text without ever oversimplifying. Her book is both a very good read and admirably succinct. * Christopher Andrew, Literary Review *
A wonderful text for the student of international relations, whom it will immunise against infection by arcane concepts and theories that bear little relation to the real world. It is, moreover, beautifully written and an object lesson for academics in history and the social sciences. * Vernon Bogdanor, Times Higher Education Supplement *
Oxonian Bennett (Somerville, 1969) lifts the lid on how six crucial decisions were taken, and not just why. She concludes that British foreign policy is subject to deep continuity. * Oxford Today Vol. 25 No. 2 *
ISBN: 9780198700890
Dimensions: 215mm x 135mm x 20mm
Weight: 294g
240 pages