The Irony of American History

From the theologian President Barack Obama cites as one of his favorite philosophers, “the most important book ever written on foreign policy” (Andrew J. Bacevich, from the introduction). Forged during the tumultuous but triumphant postwar years when America came of age as a world power, The Irony of American History is more relevant now than ever before. Cited by politicians as diverse as Hillary Clinton and John McCain, Niebuhr’s masterpiece on the incongruity between personal ideals and polit