Conversations with History: Institute of International Studies, UC Berkeley

See the Conversations with History Blog See a second interview with Mark Danner: Being a Writer

This interview is part of the Institute's "Conversations with History" series, and uses Internet technology to share with the public Berkeley's distinction as a global forum for ideas.

Welcome to a Conversation with History. I'm Harry Kreisler of the Institute of International Studies. Our guest is Mark Danner, staff writer for the New Yorker, a regular contributor to the New York Review of Books, and a visiting fellow at the Human Rights Center on the campus, and also the School of Journalism.

1. Ideas Shaping U.S. Involvement in the Cold War ... historical self conception ... the Truman Doctrine and the public ... foreign policy embedded in domestic politics ... realities and constraints
2. Ideas in the Post - Cold War World ... lack of ideas ... failure to build political support ... the "Vietnam Syndrome" ... "no dogs in this fight" ... fear of a single casualty ... NATO enlargement ... lack of creativity
3. The Case of Kosovo ... ultimatum ... Milosevic ... misreading recent history ... lack of professionalism of Clinton administration ... cost of doing nothing ... lessons not learned

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