I was temporarily besotted by the Oxford series 'very short introductions'. They are what they say they are, a rare quality admittedly. And as a consequence, a greedy reader ambitiously imagines that from "nothingness" to "chaos", these capsules will push him sufficiently close to the shore, where he can choose whether to wade deeper into the dark sea, or admire it from afar. That is me. Or was me.
While most have been charming, I am no longer confident of the purpose of these brief, but stimulating nudges towards an area of knowledge. After the introduction, and the tight smile and quick hello, I havent seriously pursued a lengthy conversation with any of the subjects I have collided, willingly, into.
I was however, very excited, but then quickly aggrieved when I saw one on 'Diplomacy'.
'Diplomacy' has been written by Joseph M. Siracusa, whom I had not heard of, although my position in the sea of diplomacy is comparable to a submarine, submerged but with the possibility of being bouyant. When I read the one on WTO, I was pleased that it is Amrita Narlikar...but Siracusa? Not so sure really. I would have much preferred if that gorgeous mind, James der Derian had been asked to write it. Berhaal.
Siracusa disappoints, not only because, unlike Der Derian, he is not honest enough to admit that he is dealing with only 'Western, westphalian diplomacy', but because of the important diplomatic 'moments' he chooses to focus on. He looks at, a. the Diplomacy of the American Revolution, b. The Diplomacy of the Great War and Versailles, c. The night Churchill and Stalin divided Europe. But what is most unjustifiable was an entire chapter on the ANZUS treaty, one negotiated between the US and Australia. Scintillating stuff, no doubt. But an whole chapter in a work limited to 138 pages solely between Australia and the US? Inexplicable!
No, actually it is. Siracusa currently teaches at Griffith University, Australia.
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