Too scholarly to be a bland functionary, Kennan’s advice as a governmental official was suffused with historical interpretations and ethical judgments. Moreover, by trying to re-create Kennan’s “theory,” we can draw broader conclusions about his overall contribution to U.S.

First, it is simply the case that during his career he has evolved a set of underlying assumptions that in their totality suggest a theory of international politics-notwithstanding his impatience with academic social science and his skepticism about formal philosophy. Still, it is worthwhile for anyone interested in one of America’s leading public figures to try to reconstruct and assess Kennan’s theory, or what we can at least label as his philosophical precepts. Indeed, he has not produced any corpus of philosophical writings rather, he is a diplomat-turned-historian, who has eschewed most theorizing as too constricting or irrelevant to the affairs of state. disengagement from Europe, and the dangers of an unbridled arms race.ĭespite his intellectual and other accomplishments, Kennan has never attempted to create a theory of international relations or of American foreign policy. In this capacity, he has touched on numerous issues, including the hazards of U.S. Since the mid-1950’s, he has also won the attention of many people as a commentator on contemporary international affairs. Twice awarded the Pulitzer Prize, he is today in his eighties a scholar whose research and masterful prose continue to set high standards. Kennan has twice held ambassadorships: in 1952 to the Soviet Union, and in the early 1960’s to Yugoslavia.ĭuring the first phase of the Cold War, as director of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff (1947-1949), Kennan helped devise the strategy of containment against the Soviet Union and played a crucial role in shaping the Marshall Plan.Īs an historian of Russia and of European international government to problems then posed by Soviet power. In particular his “Long Telegram” of 1946 helped alert the U.S.

Through Harriman he came to exercise an influence on the Truman administration’s perception of the Soviet Union. In 1926 he joined the Foreign Service and was assigned to various posts, including Moscow, Berlin, and Prague, and won the admiration of ambassadors under whom he served, notably William Bullitt and W. Kennan has pursued a varied career as diplomat, policy-maker, and historian.

George f kennan american diplomacy