The Faces of Power: Constancy and Change in United States Foreign Policy from Truman to Clinton by Seyom Brown (review)

190 Canadian Review of American Studies One difficulty raised by Rutherford's study is his choice of vantage point. He positions himself primarily as an art historian captivated by "the artistry, the variety and the splendor of these little works of the imagination" (8). He claims to be "more interested in what commercials are than what they do" (8). What is surprising is that Rutherford is not only well aware of the elaborate corporate machineries and strategies that have been at work in manipulating consumer choices, but relishes describing how some of the more powerful campaigns were designed to be "at the leading edge of everyone's imagination" (54). He is also aware, no doubt, of the considerable political muscle that has been used to deregulate television advertising in the United States. But strangely, the issues that are raised by such dramatic displays of manipulation and power are not central concerns. Inviewing the advertisements as isolated works of art, Rutherford also fails to acknowledge the extent to which television spots have become only one weapon in a larger arsenal of marketing strategies. In children's television, for instance, programs and advertisements are often linked to the licensing of a whole series of related products, from toys to tee shirts to food products. One can argue that the programs themselves have become little more than "30 minute commercials." Similar marketing strategies have enveloped much of American sports. It is increasingly difficult to separate advertisements from programs, guest appearances, and the events themselves. This new and more complex world of selling and promotion is not discussed at all in The New Icons?. This is, nonetheless, an extremely rich and insightful book. It provides a feast of images and impressions about American society that makes it must reading for those interested in the evolution and influence of American culture. David Taras University ol Calgary Seyom Brown. The Faces o/ Power: Constancy and Change in United States Foreign Policy from Truman to Clinton. 2nd ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 1994. Pp. 658. Most academic examinations of American foreign policy since 1945 are content with highlighting the regular episodic "highs" and "lows" of that Book Reviews 191 period. Discussions of the Truman Doctrine, the Marshall Plan, the NixonKissinger China initiative, the Korean War, and the Vietnam conflict are commonplace. Far too few projects have attempted to explain the development and implementation of the interests and instruments that propelled United States foreign policy during this critical time. Fewer still have sought to understand how the motivations, preferences, and beliefs of top-level Washington decision makers keenly influenced and ultimately guided the course that America followed. A most notable exception to this is Seyom Brown's scholarly contribution, The Faces o/ Power. In this well written and carefully organized work, Brown provides students of American foreign policy (and more broadly, international politics), with an unparalleled analysis of how various U. S . administrations, from Truman to Clinton, have interpreted American national mterests, and the competing policy alternatives available. What emerges from Brown's account is an insightful picture of how each president and their subordinates have personally charted the course of U. S. foreign policy. In this second edition of The Faces of Pou,1er,Professor Brown has purposely sought to extend the scope of his analysis; most notably, by reviewing the entire Reagan foreign policy (389-489), the Bush years (503-78), and the emerging dominant strands presently being offered by the Clinton administration (581-612). Whereas the first half of the book (1945-1980) is preoccupied with questions of how, why, and by what methods the U. S. sought to contain Soviet/Communist expansionism, the latter half has a broader focus: namely, reviewing U. S. foreign policy decision making (by the president and his associates) in the context of the waning of containment, the end of the Cold War, and a new, more fluid and dangerous international political environment. Brown is most compelling in his examination of American foreign policy under Ronald Reagan. Time and time again, the author successfully demonstrates that President Reagan and his closest advisors (Caspar Weinberger, Donald Regan, Alexander Haig, George Schultz, William Clark, Richard Allen, and George Bush) were driven...