The Sino-Soviet Alliance: An International History by Austin Jersild

We cheat ourselves if we dismiss Bush as a cold-blooded snob. The detached analyst had a touch of the mystic. In the penultimate selection of the volume, he asks why birds sing, and he concludes that they do so for the pleasure the singing brings. Not for survival of the self or the species, but for a transcendent joy in the experience. Elsewhere, he considers a point at the heart of the human condition: “The shepherd on the hill at night views the stars and ponders, not just that he can thus care better for his sheep, not just that he is idle and his mind roams, but because he wonders whether, beyond the stars, lies the reason why he can thus ponder” (p. 221). As we face climate change, buckling economies, Russia’s unprovoked invasion of Ukraine, and the rise of genome editing and other technological disruptions, Bush’s life and career tell us that serious, focused, and rigorous analysis can see us through, even as we bring our own blind spots and wistful romantic musings along. One final word about the editor, Zachary. Editors who gather, evaluate, select, and trim the works of others are themselves reflected in the subsequent collections, even though they may be lost in the brilliance of their subject. For Zachary to have compiled this material requires his having the talent and training to understand all the facets that engaged Bush. The result is a volume that is an indispensable contribution to our understanding of major issues facing the United States in the middle of the previous century and a source of encouragement and caution for our own times.