Book Reviews : Modern Egypt. By TOM LITTLE. (New York: Frederick A. Praeger, 1967. Pp. xiii, 300. $7.50.)
| Author | John M. Ostheimer |
| Published date | 01 September 1968 |
| DOI | 10.1177/106591296802100322 |
| Date | 01 September 1968 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
523
dramatically,
the
struggle
for
its
soul)
as
new
issues
arise
and
the
stock
answers
of
New
Deal
welfareism
no
longer
fully
suffice.
The
author
finds
there
are
limits
to
the
ability
of
democratic
politics
to
deal
with
questions
raised
by
such
developing
issues
as
&dquo;Black
Power&dquo;
and
the
war
in
Vietnam.
Kaufman
maintains
there
is
a
need
for
a
turn
toward
liberalism.
He
suggests
that
the
radical
is
needed
today
by
the
forces
of
liberalism
in
the
United
States,
both
for
his
purifying
influence
and
for
the
redirecting
of
the
energies
of
American
liberals
toward
solving
new
problems.
He
asserts
that
American
liberals
tend
to
be
either
pragmatists
who
engage
in
the
&dquo;politics
of
pseudo-realism&dquo;
or
else
moralists
who
engage
in
the
politics
of
&dquo;self-indulgence.&dquo;
Liberalism
needs
some
of
both,
he
believes,
in
the
form
of
the
politics
of
&dquo;radical
pressure.&dquo;
The
author
argues
this
approach
can
adapt
the
current
needs
of
reform
to
the
Madi-
sonian
framework
of
our
political
system.
The
most
absorbing
discussion of
specifics
is
found
in
chapters
on
the
rami-
fications
of
Black
Power,
liberalism
and
higher
education,
and
liberalism
and
foreign
policy.
On
Black
Power,
stress
is
put
on
human
rights
and
the
centuries-
long
frustration
of
American
Negroes
during
slavery,
then
segregation,
then
dis-
crimination.
Kaufman
also
is
critical
of
the
Black
Power
advocates’
unrealistic
ideas,
especially
their
bitterness;
at
heart
he
appears
to
be
more
a
reformer
than
a
revolutionary,
despite
some
of
his
rhetoric.
Kaufman
discusses
whether
Jefferson’s
philosophy
of
higher
education
for
the
masses
is
practicable.
He
argues
that
it
is
at
least
worth
trying
for
another
century;
it
is
better
to
waste
resources
than
human
lives.
Internal
problems
of
the
campuses
and
the
myth
of
the
&dquo;neutral
university&dquo;
are
discussed
by
Kaufman,
who
advocates
a
broader
base
of
participation
in
campus
decision-making.
The
conflict
between
morality
and
patriotism
is
the
theme
on
which
the
foreign
policy
chapter
pivots.
It
is
possible
to
find
some
non-revolutionary
solution
to
international
problems,
the
author
suggests,
but
we
must
avoid
falling
into
the
trap
of
supporting
regimes
out
of
touch
with
the
people.
Radical
pressure,
he
feels,
can
be
important
in
influencing
foreign
policy
because
of
the
strategic
position
of
intel-
lectuals
and
the
urban
masses
in
our
polity.
The
chief
weaknesses
of
this
essay
are
also
its
virtues.
Its
brevity
makes
it
incisive,
and
yet
we
feel
many
avenues
of
thought
could
have
been
explored
in
greater
depth.
The
work
is
thoughtful,
however,
and
generative
of
good
analytical
perspectives.
Wisconsin
State
University,
Oshkosh
WILLIAM
C.
SPRAGENS
Modern
Egypt.
By
TOM
LITTLE.
(New
York:
Frederick
A.
Praeger,
1967.
Pp.
xiii,
300.
$7.50.)
It
is
hard
to
remain
indifferent
to
Nasser.
He
is
either
a
&dquo;valiant
fighter
against
imperialism&dquo;
or
a
&dquo;tool
of
the
Kremlin.&dquo;
Tom
Little’s
new
book
shows
why
neither
title
describes
the
man
who
completed
Egypt’s
struggle
for
independence.
As
the
complex
difficulties
faced
by
that
new
nation
are
intricately
revealed,
the
reader
comes
to
understand
Little’s
impartiality.
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