Audio - Harvard Magazine

How Do Past Presidents Rank in Foreign Policy?

| Mar. 02, 2020

Overview

How do presidents incorporate morality into decisions involving the national interest? Moral considerations explain why Truman, who authorized the use of nuclear weapons in Japan during World War II, later refused General MacArthur's request to use them in China during the Korean War. What is contextual intelligence, and how does it explain why Bush 41 is ranked first in foreign policy, but Bush 43 is found wanting? Is it possible for a president to lie in the service of the public interest? In this episode, Professor Joseph S. Nye considers these questions as he explores the role of morality in presidential decision-making from FDR to Trump.

A transcript of this interview is available here.

  – Via Harvard Magazine.

For more information on this publication: Belfer Communications Office
For Academic Citation:

"How Do Past Presidents Rank in Foreign Policy?" Audio, March 2, 2020, posted by Harvard Magazine.

Related

Joseph S. Nye, Jr.

Joseph S. Nye

  • Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor
  • Member of the Board, Belfer Center
  • Faculty Affiliate, Future of Diplomacy Project
Expertise:

Jonathan Shaw

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