God and Gold: Britain, America, and the Making of the Modern World

by: Walter Russell Mead

Published by: Vintage Books

Reviewed by Paul Markowitz

Anglo-Americans have been on the winning side in every international conflict since the Glorious Revolution in 1688. That is an astounding record covering some ten major conflicts over 300 years, although the American Revolution was a given. According to Mead, these outcomes were not just the result of an incredible streak of good luck, but due to the inherent characteristics of Anglo-Americans and the manner that they helped to mold their respective foreign policies.

Mead, in this erudite yet controversial treatise, strongly purports that the financial infrastructure and the individualistic ideology of Christianity that Anglo-American civilization came to embody were driving forces that allowed Britain, and later America, to win wars and transform the political and economic landscape of the world. Furthermore, he suggests that this commercial and religious zeal, along with the English language, democratic political institutions, and naval power were critical elements in its success.

One might be tempted to reject his proposals out-of-hand as the prattling of an ethnocentric and Christian-chauvinistic ideologue, but the wealth of his knowledge and the vigor of his analysis suggest he cannot so readily be dismissed. In addition, he strongly chides the United States for giving little thought to the meaning of the power it has accumulated and some very poor choices of its use as well. He specifically states that Islam and Islamic countries are far from inherently incompatible with an Anglo-American worldview. He singles out for criticism both George Bush and Tony Blair for an overly moralistic foreign policy and the possible dire consequences of such a position.

Despite the very seriousness of the topics dealt with by Mead, his style of writing is both accessible and entertaining, with many allusions to literary works from Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, and Lewis Carroll to the headier works of philosophers Henri Bergson and Karl Popper.

Whether one buys all of Mead’s tenets or not, his proposal is sure to evoke considerable thought, discussion, and reflection on what has made Britain – and then the United States – world powers, and what needs to be done to maintain that hierarchy.

Armchair Interviews says: A 5-star read of current public affairs importance.

Author’s Web Council on Foreign Relations site:

Anglo-Americans have been on the winning side in every international conflict since the Glorious Revolution in 1688. That is an astounding record covering some ten major conflicts over 300 years, although the American Revolution was a given. According to Mead, these outcomes were not just the result of an incredible streak of good luck, but due to the inherent characteristics of Anglo-Americans and the manner that they helped to mold their respective foreign policies.

Mead, in this erudite yet controversial treatise, strongly purports that the financial infrastructure and the individualistic ideology of Christianity that Anglo-American civilization came to embody were driving forces that allowed Britain, and later America, to win wars and transform the political and economic landscape of the world. Furthermore, he suggests that this commercial and religious zeal, along with the English language, democratic political institutions, and naval power were critical elements in its success.

One might be tempted to reject his proposals out-of-hand as the prattling of an ethnocentric and Christian-chauvinistic ideologue, but the wealth of his knowledge and the vigor of his analysis suggest he cannot so readily be dismissed. In addition, he strongly chides the United States for giving little thought to the meaning of the power it has accumulated and some very poor choices of its use as well. He specifically states that Islam and Islamic countries are far from inherently incompatible with an Anglo-American worldview. He singles out for criticism both George Bush and Tony Blair for an overly moralistic foreign policy and the possible dire consequences of such a position.

Despite the very seriousness of the topics dealt with by Mead, his style of writing is both accessible and entertaining, with many allusions to literary works from Daniel Defoe, Jonathan Swift, and Lewis Carroll to the headier works of philosophers Henri Bergson and Karl Popper.

Whether one buys all of Mead’s tenets or not, his proposal is sure to evoke considerable thought, discussion, and reflection on what has made Britain – and then the United States – world powers, and what needs to be done to maintain that hierarchy.

Armchair Interviews says: A 5-star read of current public affairs importance.

Author’s Web site: http://www.WMead@cfr.org