Commentary on Margaret Thatcher, Statecraft Strategies...

Book Report: Statecraft: Strategies For A Changing World, By Margaret Thatcher The late Isaiah Berlin (1909-1997), in his book Russian Thinkers, wrote something thoughtful and piercing - ...that there could not in principle be any simple or final answer to any genuine human problem; that if a question was serious and indeed agonizing, the answer could never be clear-cut or neat.(Volume 19 - Issue 17, August 17 - 30, 2002 Indias National Magazine from the publishers of THE HINDU) Reflections on international relations and national security by the former British prime minister, the book reaffirms Thatchers long-held attitude in a strong military, firm statecraft, and coalition partnership with America. In her outlook, the 1990s offer a caution to the United Kingdom and the other Western countries. After winning the Cold War, the democratic systems let down their guard; they paid attention on human rights and paid out less on protection, let their intelligence-gathering hard work slip, and listened to open-minded politicians who thought that globalization would bring worldwide peace. In reply, Thatcher advises a return to the exercise of state power in chase of the national interest. But her essays are not simple confirmations of actual politic statecraft. Like Ronald Reagan, Thatcher has a strong ethical pledge to democratic system, freedom, the rule of law, and other Western ideals; her world outlook holds both power politics and democratic community. Certainly, she often