The Wages of Globalism: Lyndon Johnson and the Limits of American Power

In The Wages of Globalism, Brands conducts a witty and insightful tour of LBJ's foreign policy - a tour that begins in Washington, runs through Santo Domingo, Nicosia, and Jakarta, and ends in Saigon. He opens with a thoughtful portrayal of the tense but often fruitful relationship between the domineering Johnson and his advisers - Dean Rusk, Robert McNamara, George Ball, Clark Clifford, Walt Rostow - as Johnson picked up Kennedy's legacy and sought to make it his own. Leaving Vietnam for the end, Brands presents the various crises with all the impact the White House felt at the time: the Dominican intervention, India's impending famine and war with Pakistan, the coup against Sukarno in Indonesia, France's departure from NATO's unified command, the threat of fighting between Greece and Turkey over Cyprus, the Six Day War, and the wrangles with Germany over money and arms. In each, Brands captures the uncertainty in Washington and the conflicting advice that Johnson received.