THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS

Friday, January 6, 1984 61

Abba Eban's Book Reviews 40 Years of World Diplomacy

By DR. MILTON J.
STEINHARDT

to a mutual distrust, and
that the Russians had
"The New Diplomacy: In-
good reasons for their
ternational Affairs in the
fears as they recalled the
Modern Age" (Random
earlier attempt to push
House) by Abba Eban,
Hitler eastward. This re-
chronicles the four decades
viewer can also state
of post-war diplomacy with
there were many officers
the insight and experience
in his medical unit who
becoming to one who was
openly stated: "We are
not only an observer but an
fighting the wrong
active participant. The
enemy." Such a negative
author presents a
attitude of some Ameri-
panoramic view of the var-
cans was no surprise to
ious forces that emerged in
the already paranoid Sta-
the reconstruction follow-
lin.
ing the catastrophic war
The author disagrees
that cost a total of 50 million -
MILTON STEINHARDT - with spokesmen such as
dead including 20 million
Podhoretz that the Soviets
Russians, six million Jews view of the various inter-
are the new Nazis. The
and a half-million Ameri- ests, such as the U.S., the Soviets regard the emphasis
cans in addition to $150 bil- Soviets, the Third World
on human rights as an ex-
and the Middle East.
lion.
cuse to attack their system.
Only the highlights of As we know, the USSR is
To many of us, this review
of the events of the past 40 such a comprehensive sub-
not subject to internal
years has a familiar ring — ject can command our atten-
scrutiny by their own
a "Deja Vu" — we have seen tion. Abba Eban shares the people.
it all before. But Abba Eban opinion of many Europeans
There is no doubt that the
succeeds in presenting an that the use of the atom
Soviets lost diplomatic
objective and vivid analysis bomb on the Japanese was leverage in the Near East
of the post-war scene. In not warranted, and that the by breaking relations with
some instances he gives the extremes of the "cold war" Israel. When the Russian
pros and cons of important were counter-productive.
ambassador officially an-
issues, so the reader may For that reason Pax nounced the rupture of rela-
judge for himself. Besides Americana was shortlived.
tions with Israel in 1967 be-
an overview of the world
He attributes the cause of "divergent views,"
scene, he offers the points of American-Soviet conflict
he admitted that it was not
logical but such were his or-
ders.
In reviewing sigpificant
Education: bring
A student writes . . . and is
contemporary issues, Eban
The joy of learning —
answered with scholarships
a life-long experience
notes the role of the UN and
the two major diplomatic
principles: balance of power
and collective security. Bal-
•
• -•••‘•
ance of power ends with
" •"'
each side wanting the bal-
ance on its side; and the
•.•,,•
principle of collective secu-
Perfect piet
rity was sacrificed on the
••••
altar of nationalism that re-
sulted in 100 million people
killed in the three decades,
1914-1945. Collective secu-
rity has merit but is not
psychologically valid be-
cause of emotional
for fall '82
nationalism.
Another lively issue is
the relation between dip-
lomacy and the media.
The "right to know" must
be secondary to the
"right to peace." Wilson's
"open covenants openly
arrived at" policy in 1919
was first violated by him-
self. Diplomacy conflicts
with journalism as "the
glare of publicity freezes
positions." Eban feels
that public opinion may
The Newspaper! You'll find it's filled
be uninformed and prej-
with good news, good ideas and good
udiced.
insights into the world around you!
The importance of the nu-
There's something for everyone in your
clear
issue cannot be over-
hometown newspaper. See for youself!
emphasized with the prolif-
IMO MI MI MI • in MIM I= On = MUM UM EN MI MO MI MI
eration of 50,000 warheads.
MI
Eban believes arms in gen-
The Jewish News

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ABBA EBAN

eral may be both a conse-
quence and cause of inter-
national tension.
The various solutions of-
fered to the nuclear danger
shows the acute dilemma of
the nuclear age, as we note
the following: nuclear free
zones, MAD (mutual as-
sured destruction), better
bred than dead, unilateral
disarmament, balance of
terror, psychologic vul-
nerability and psychologi-
cal acceptance.
Summitry can only ease
the superficial issues, as the
difficult ones are inevitably
pushed aside.

Eban finds the so-called
"Third World" nations hos-
tile to the U.S. and Israel
and to anyone possessing
more of the worldly goods
than they do. Their voting
strength is disproportionate
to their number and their
importance. The Third
World continues spouting
invectives against the U.S.

and demands substantial
aid, yet spend $100 billion
per year in arms instead of
improving the lot of their
people. The newly-formed
nationalities that blamed
the colonial powers are
worse off after gaining sov-
ereignty.
Eban notes swings and
ambivalence in Ameri-
can policy in the Mideast.
The U.S. is trying to pla-
cate opposing sides at the
same time. Obviously this
is impossible and makes
it difficult to predict U.S.
policy.
One may justly conclude
that the new nationalism of
the PLO Palestinians was
nurtured by those whose
aim was the total elimina-
tion of Israel. We must
therefore reluctantly take
exception to some of Eban's
Near East positions. An in-
dependent Arab entity is
not viable unless it expands
at the cost of Israel, Jordan
or both. Jordan's sover-
eignty over the occupied
areas was never recognized
by 99 percent of the nations.
One wonders why Eban,
who appreciated Russia's
concern for security, fails to
respond to Israel's need for
security, since the popu-
lated coastal areas of Israel
are at the mercy of anyone
in control of the high ground
west of the Jordan. A major-
ity of Israelis favor Jews liv-
ing in the historical land of
their fathers — as in Heb-
ron, Etzion and East
Jerusalem where Jews were
massacred in 1929 and
1948.

Eban's concept that open
diplomacy tends to freeze
postures, and that negotia-
tions should start with no
pre-conditions is 'at vari-
ance with his position that
concedes sovereignty for
Judea and Samaria prior to
negotiations.

Abba Eban treats Kis-
singer with special defer-
ence. Their mutual admi-
ration is not without rea-
son. Their affinity flows
from their characters.
Both possess a flam-
boyant and bombastic
style.
The following quotation,
which simply means that
Soviet diplomacy is also
emotionally laden, illus-
trates Eban's flowery ten-
dency: "It is not the case
that Soviet diplomacy is a
precise cybernetic" exercise
immune to the dislocating
gusts of passion, injured
pride, personal exhaustion,
and other human frailties
that prevent a negotiator
from acting in strict accord
with well defined interests."
Eban used 40 words when
five could have been
adequate. He does succeed
in flinging the King's
English to the Queen's taste
(intellectuals), but one
doubts how this impresses
the average American or Is-
raeli.
Despite some minor
shortcomings, anyone who
wants an authoritative,
well-documented, balanced
record of postwar diplomacy
can do no better than peruse
Eban's book.

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