Still, the increasing partisanship of U.S. politics generally is reflected in the sharpening of congressional struggles about U.S. participation in these organizations. In this environment, fresh ideas about how to break the current politi- cal Peacock are especially desirable. And Luck offers them. Despite the deep roots of American ambivalence, he is convinced that opportunities exist for real progress. The road ahead will not be easy, he argues, but a sensible and practical route is available.
Reform agendas, if they are ambitious, are never the easiest course.
But much is at stake. American exceptionalism encompasses not only ambivalence about international bodies, it expresses the indispensable qual- ity of American world leadership. Our elected officials, therefore, would do wed to heed Edward Luck's analysis of the current stalemate and his formula for progress. On behalf of The Century Foundation, I commend him for this important contribution to our understanding of one of the major for- eign policy issues before the nation.