Professor Leon Fink of the University of Chicago bemoans the loss of the World order created after the Second World War. Professor Fink a noted historian of the Progressive Era and labor relations bemoans what he sees as a diminution of freedom in the Western World. You may disagree with Professor Fink, but as always you should listen to an argument and think about it before you comment on it.

This is super interesting because its take that often isn't heard about. I think a lot of people in conservative circles would really enjoy this book.

I do not agree with everything written, but such a book is needed in times like ours, in which there is such a sharp division between people on a political, social, economic level. Ideologies go backward, while new searches come to the fore and political elites must correspond to reality, but without compromising on basic ideals.

DNF at 15%.

I really wanted to find value in this book but it just isn't there. The author attempts to hide his lack of lengthy pondering under a preponderance of large vocabulary words. The resulting concoction is a nauseating diatribe on the failings of liberalism with no real solution or actual understanding of the reasons behind the failure. I gave up after multiple gems like this:

"Such Cold War sangfroid doubtless found its apotheosis in the international machinations, both productive and disastrous, of Richard Nixon and Henry Kissinger."

He laments that the greatest liberal minds have failed to create their sought-after utopia while never stopping to think that perhaps their plan might have been flawed. I would argue that they succeeded in creating what they sought out to create and that we are now seeing the obvious consequences.

The author either misunderstood or deliberately misconstrued the origins and structure of NAFTA. I will not attempt to assume which is true but I cannot waste more time on this drivel.

An analytical, versatile approach to American foreign policy in the second half of the twentieth century.

In his latest book ‘Undoing the Liberal World Order: Progressive Ideals and Political Realities Since World War II,’ the expert on the history of labor Leon Fink seeks to apply American domestic policy's polarization to the country’s foreign policy. In domestic policy, the distinction between liberal and conservative fronts is identifiable and understandable. The foreign policy operates on the general and vague principle of national goals. Leon Fink's research focuses on liberal ideas, defined as progressive reshaping the world on multiple levels: economic, social, and governmental. To understand how and to what extent American liberal ideas and national idealism influenced other countries, the author uses bright cases covering almost all continents and times since World War II, from West Germany in the post-war period up to South Africa in 1970-2000. In the last chapter, ‘Conclusion,’ Leon Fink gives a brief description of the principles of foreign policy nowadays and summarizes the lessons the history of the twentieth century offers to modern politicians.

The diversity of the material and in-depth analysis are the book's main advantages. Though the first part (out of three) focuses mainly on the history of labor and workers' right in the emerging new order, the other two parts provide a clear and thorough view of the application of American foreign policy across the globe. In order to be objective, the author used not only paper media like books, newsletters, or archives but also conducted interviews with some of the political and civil rights movement figures connected with foreign policy.

However, the academic style of the book leads to the question of the book's target audience. The book's language is dry and sometimes monotonous, with unfamiliar names, dates, abbreviations, and long sentences in every line and paragraph. For scholars and professors, an umbrella topic encompasses too many discriminate sub-topics to be the sole basis of further research. Thereby, the target audience is neither a typical reader who seeks information in the easy-to-digest form nor fellow historians who prefer highly specialized analysis.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Leon Fink is clearly a progressive but his excellent book is still well worth your time. The West defeated fascism in 1945 and communism in 1991 (except for Red China that had adopted many capitalist tenants and thus survived) and this was followed by neo-liberalism that hoped for an autocracy that was ruled by the world's elites. But today populism is on the rise everywhere and Prof. Fink covers what led up to this current transition with great care. Regrettably, Fink sees this move to nationalism and populism as a distinct negative but if he were to read James Sukowieck's 2006 book, The Wisdom of Crowds, Mr. Fink might change his mind.
When a member of the elite with an IQ of 130 meets an everyday Joe with an IQ of 100 the elitists immediately feels that he is better qualified to run our nation and he is correct BUT when 100,000,000 average Joes join together to reach a conclusion they make far better decisions than 10,000 elites who are likewise working together. This is a crucial fact that almost all elites fail completely to ever grasp.
Thank God that our planet is quickly moving away from neo-liberalism and toward populism that is founded in nationalism!