AUTHOR

Frank Costigliola

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Like George F. Kennan, I try to combine the life of the mind with the life of a farmer. I raise grass-fed Devon beef cattle on a farm in Storrs, CT, where I also teach the history of U.S. foreign relations. After 30 years of studying Kennan, I still find him a fascinating mix of admirable and deplorable traits. Brilliant, hardworking, and prescient, he foresaw not only the eventual collapse of the Soviet Union, but also much more that has come to pass. Kennan argued that the Cold War could have ended decades sooner if only the US had been more open to serious negotiations and compromise with Russia. He also warned that expanding NATO into Eastern Europe after 1991 would undermine democracy in Russia, feed resentment in that country, and help spur a renewed cold war. In terms of America's domestic affairs, Kennan foresaw the deep divisions that now threaten democracy in the United States. He recommended the creation of a Council of State -- a group of indisputably respected Americans who might confer when needed and who would offer reasonably objective advice to the nation on crucial, perplexing issues. Despite such wisdom, Kennan retained deplorable prejudices absorbed in early 20th century America and Europe that he never quite shook off.
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