A True Statesman: George H. W. Bush and the 'Indispensable Nation'

Description

An affectionate account of a great President who was proof that a good man can change the world, ending the Cold War, securing the reunification of Germany and risking his presidency to drive Saddam Hussein out of Kuwait. A portrait also of his friendship with Bill Clinton and of the relationship with his son, George W. Bush, and his very different administration. A True Statesman explores Bush's core belief in the United States as the 'indispensable nation' in helping to deal with world crises - a belief later questioned by Barack Obama and challenged head-on by Donald Trump, with Biden also abandoning his commitment to free trade. It is now well and truly back in fashion, thanks to Vladimir Putin. That the US remains the 'indispensable nation' will continue to be defended by Congress and the US military against all comers.

Lord Renwick served as Ambassador to the US from 1991 to 1995 and as Counsellor in the British embassy in Washington in the 1980s. He is the author of A Journey with Margaret Thatcher, Helen Suzman: Bright Star in a Dark Chamber, Ready for Hillary?, The End of Apartheid and many other books, most recently the memoir Not Quite a Diplomat. He lives in London.