John Spanier

LOUIS FISCHER. Russia, America, and the World. Pp. 244. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1960, 1961.

LOUIS FISCHER. Russia, America, and the World. Pp. 244. New York: Harper & Brothers, 1960, 1961.

4.50

4.50. Despite its grandiose title and the reputation of its author, this book can be classified only as a disappointment. Fischer discusses almost the entire range of world affairs-with one glaring omission. The &dquo;America&dquo; of the title is almost ignored, except by indirection-Fischer approves of European unification and the economic development of the backward areas. The book fails, however, to live up to its promise of a bold, new look at world affairs. Most of it has been said before, and with less jargon. In his comments on the nature of Chinese and Russian foreign and domestic policies, Fischer fails to provide any real analysis of the dynamics of Communist political behavior. A Sino-Soviet split is predicted purely on the basis of recent events. The complexity of relations between the two countries is ignored by viewing their bond in terms of simple extremes-of co-operation or disintegration. Only their differ-