When the world seemed new : George H.W. Bush and the end of the Cold War

I have read many presidential books and “When The World Seemed New” is one of the best. Its subject is the unique set of challenges and opportunities that confronted George H W. Bush during his presidency.  Bush is portrayed as a man in his element, sure of his view of the world and his place in it, prudent, diligent, with a vision of where he wanted to take the United States who guided the U.S. through step by step process to lead it there.  Contrary to common perception, Bush and his team entered the White House intending to modify and not merely extend the Reagan foreign policy.  Though part of his administration, Bush viewed Reagan as being too cooperative with the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev and was determined to toughen the American stand.

President Bush is often remembered for Desert Storm and as the Liberator of Kuwait.  Readers of this tome are quickly reminded that this was only the best remembered of many crises with which Bush had to deal during his leading role in the great world drama.  As Bush took the helm as Gorbachev was winning the world public relations battle as the forward-looking agent of perestroika.  While freedom tested its limits in Eastern Europe, students in Beijing organized protests against the government.  The suppression in Tiananmen Square raised congressional calls for sanctions that Bush had to balance against the need to keep the door open for Chinese engagement in the world community.  As change took hold in Eastern Europe Bush had to walk the tightrope of offering encouragement to the reformers and giving Gorbachev enough to enable him to keep the right wing out of power but withholding enough to maximize the odds of freedom prevailing.  As the Evil Empire receded the victorious allies of World War II had to wrestle with the problem of German unification and its place in or out of NATO.  The resolution of that issue was followed by the disintegration of the Soviet Union and its replacement by many republics, including the Russia of Boris Yeltsin.  Almost tangentially related to the demise of the Warsaw Pact, Saddam Hussein took the opportunity to invade Kuwait.  Outraged by the naked aggression that shock his sensibilities, Bush wove together an international coalition and broad support, or at least acquiescence, for Desert Storm.

I remember the incidents chronicled in this work and have read other books about President Bush but no where have I seen the depth of analysis and character study as in this one.  Author Jeffrey A. Engel portrays Bush as a gentleman of the American aristocracy who devoted the time to establishing the personal relationships with leaders that, while not ensuring success, made negotiations easier.  Personal demeanor notwithstanding, the velvet glove covered an iron hand that deftly took advantage of American superiority to achieve the goals of the advancement of democracy and freedom accompanied by the maintenance of American power.

These pages introduced me to new insights into the issues of 1989-1993.  I remember talk of whether the two Germanies would be re-united but did not appreciate the depth of fear among European states that a unified Germany would resume the practices that led to two world wars.  I certainly had not understood Bush’s resolve that America needed to remain a major player in European affairs, with troops on the ground, to keep the Europeans from squabbling as they had in the past.  By the end of this book I understood more than ever how necessary the administration of George H. W. Bush was for its time.

“When the World Seemed New” is a fascinating read and a must for anyone with in interest in the end of the Cold War.