Richard G. Lugar, Statesman of the Senate
Crafting Foreign Policy from Capitol Hill
Two-time chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Richard G. Lugar was one of the most widely respected foreign policy experts in Congress for more than three decades. This illuminating study examines Lugar’s approach to lawmaking and diplomacy, revealing the inner workings of the Senate. Drawing on interviews with Lugar and other leading figures in foreign policy, Shaw chronicles the six-term senator’s historic accomplishments on nuclear proliferation, arms control, energy, and global food issues, highlighting his ability to influence American foreign policy in consequential ways. Richard G. Lugar, Statesman of the Senate illustrates the role Congress can play in shaping foreign policy and demonstrates the importance of statesmanship in contemporary American political life.
PRAISE
“John Shaw deploys his reportorial skills to excellent effect. … The result is a trenchant study of statesmanship as practiced from the legislative branch of our government.”
—Strobe Talbott, president, Brookings Institution, former Deputy Secretary of State
“Rewarding reading … Even non-wonks and Senate-haters will find Shaw’s book easy going. Those who like public policy, want a closer look at the inner workings of the Senate, or know something of Senator Lugar, will love it.”
—Bill Frenzel, former Republican congressman
“This book takes us on a fascinating journey through the political life of a giant in American foreign policy. … An impressive account of Richard Lugar’s rich political work and versatile political persona.”
—Jan Eliasson, former president of the UN General Assembly, former Swedish ambassador to the United States
“In this well-researched account, Shaw… focuses on the senator’s interests and actions during his three decades in the Senate, ranging from the Nunn-Lugar program to control nuclear weapons to his interest in agriculture and America’s role in ending the global food crisis. Attention is also given to Lugar as a truly bipartisan politician; while a lifelong and loyal Republican, he has worked with Democrats throughout his career, including such liberals as Barack Obama, and has famously argued with hard-line Republicans like Jesse Helms on matters of foreign policy. Shaw gives a convincing description of Lugar’s ‘considerable legislative legacy.'”
—Publishers Weekly