When the World Seemed New: George H. W. Bush and the End of the Cold War

Abstract

One-termers are the jilted lovers of presidential history. While nominees who never won the presidency are spurned and forgotten, those who blew reelection bids are scorned—and often underestimated. Fortunately for George H. W. Bush—alas not for his country—his successors' many failures are causing many to appreciate his many achievements. Bill Clinton's roguish behavior made some Americans miss Bush's dignity. George W. Bush's and Barack Obama's fidgety foreign policies made many miss the elder Bush's steady strategy. And Donald J. Trump's Trumpiness made many miss Bush—along with every other predecessor. Jeffrey A. Engel's book comes at the right time—boosting Bush's presidential stock for the right reason. The founding director of Southern Methodist University's Center for Presidential History, Engel has written a well-researched, well-organized, well-argued analysis that, ever so elegantly, does not sacrifice objectivity while demonstrating that, in foreign policy terms, this “underappreciated president” was the right man at the right place at the right time (p. 8).