Colin Powell
The focus of this book review is Colin Powell's autobiography " My American Journey". The book is told by Powell and follows his life from childhood, growing up in New York, through his career and his initial retirement from governmental activities. Aside from being incredibly inspirational in content, Powell's autobiography is extremely significant to the topic of international/interstate relations and particularly to those topics thus far discussed in this course (Political Science 250). Although at the time this autobiography was written, Powell had not actually held any position that would officially qualify him as anything more than a high ranking soldier, through Powell's experience as National Security Advisor to Ronald Reagan in 1987 and chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in 1989, he has become more than qualified as a case study for international/interstate relations. Due to his significant involvement in the United States executive decision making dealing with international "crisis" (the end of the cold war, the invasion of Panama, the Gulf war, and Somalia) Powell's career has become not only a series of highly significant interstate interactions and conflicts, but a timeline by which one can observe the short
It seems that the future of international relations as far as the eye can see or the mind can project will coincidently be influenced if not defined by the events of the end of the cold war. Aside from being the major focus of this paper, as we look into Powell and international relations, it is the end of the cold war that has created the world dynamic in which we currently live. This event has single handedly spurred the expansion of globalization to include eastern block states, and other formerly hostile nations. It is responsible for the formation of at least half a dozen new sovereign nations and has created a major shift in the balance of power in the state system. One could reasonably project a shift towards a multi-polar system in which economic powerhouses like China, Japan, Western Europe and the United States create an economically competitive state system, in which peace proves to be beneficial for all in the interest of interstate trade. Future conflicts will likely be most abundant in smaller lesser developed countries over border and nationality disputes. In an effort to gain global stability, one would expect the economic power houses to seek to give teeth to international governing organizations through the contribution of money and military power to preserve a global climate favorable for economic prosperity. For the purposes of this course and subsequently this paper one cannot help but focus on the aspects of the book that have to do with international/interstate relations. However the true essence of this book move far deeper than the nuances involved in the art and science of the politics that take place between states. In "My American Journey", Powell stands as a testament to just how far a seemingly ordinary man can rise on determination and hard work. Powell, a less than extraordinary prospect from the South Bronx rose to become a man whose council was and is sought by four United States Presidents. He became a man whose influence behind the scenes and later in the foreground of American policy helped shape the atmosphere of the world we live in today. In this book, Powell has captured that sentiment and given those interested in international politics much to analyze along the way. In the latter chapters of " My American Journey" we began to see an abundance of international politics taking place. For the purposes of this paper, and the preservation of one's sanity the focus will be narrowed largely to the years Powell spent as National Security Ad
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Approximate Word count = 1692
Approximate Pages = 7 (250 words per page double spaced)
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