The Robert S. Strauss Center for International Security and Law welcomed John Lewis Gaddis, Robert A. Lovett Professor of History at Yale University, on March 6, 2012. Jeremi Suri, Mack Brown Distinguished Chair for Leadership in Global Affairs, introduced Dr. Gaddis.
Dr. Gaddis spoke about his recently published book George F. Kennan: An American Life, which chronicles the life and influential policy achievements of American diplomat George Kennan. Dr. Gaddis described the thirty-year process of writing a biography of the outspoken diplomat responsible for the “Long Telegram’ and “X Article’ that set the foundation for the Cold War strategy of containment.
Dr. Gaddis outlined the themes in his book, including Kennan’s insight into the Cold War, his unique ability to foresee its outcome, his contributions to and critique of the practice of containment, and his illustrious career in the Foreign Service. Gaddis noted that although one of the most famous grand strategists of his time, Kennan often felt like an outsider and at times would have preferred a career as a writer.
Dr. Gaddis discussed Kennan’s famous “X Article’ that appeared in Foreign Affairs predicting that the Soviet Union would in time destroy itself from within because its formidable external fade contained internal weaknesses. Dr. Gaddis commented on how remarkable it was to see that far into the future, a quality that served Kennan well in his other successful foreign policy endeavors.
Dr. Gaddis explored some of the strong influences on Kennan’s thinking and strategizing. According to Dr. Gaddis, Kennan drew heavily on Clausewitz and Gibbon in understanding the relationship between war and policy and coming to the realization that the Soviet Union had overextended itself. Writers Tolstoy and Chekhov, whom he admired enormously, provided Kennan with a window into the Russian national character. Dr. Gaddis concluded that Kennan held the belief that resorting to war or appeasement strategy is often unnecessary because given enough time, people can reshape even the most radical of governments.
Questions from the audience covered why the U.S. did not try to develop a better relationship with the Soviet Union, how to apply lessons learned from Kennan to the current situation in Iran, how the book would have differed if it were written at an earlier time, and how Russians viewed Kennan’s life and policies.
Watch the full presentation below: