Surprise, Security, and the American Experience by John Lewis Gaddis

Abstract

The book review by Barın Kayaoglu examines John Lewis Gaddis' Surprise, Security, and the American Experience, which argues that historical patterns in U.S. national security policy—particularly preemption, unilateralism, and hegemony—have recurred across different eras. Gaddis connects President George W. Bush’s 'War on Terror' policies to those of John Quincy Adams (19th century) and Franklin D. Roosevelt (20th century), suggesting that surprise attacks (such as the War of 1812, Pearl Harbor, and 9/11) have consistently driven shifts in U.S. security strategy. Kayaoglu evaluates Gaddis' work as thought-provoking, positioning it as both an analysis of the Bush Doctrine and a cautionary tale. While Gaddis draws parallels between historical and contemporary policies, Kayaoglu notes that the book could be misinterpreted as endorsing Bush’s unilateralist approach. Instead, the reviewer emphasizes that Gaddis presents these connections critically, warning against repeating past mistakes. The review highlights recurring themes in U.S. foreign policy, the role of surprise attacks in shaping strategy, and the tension between expansion and defense. Gaddis adopts a historical institutionalist perspective, rooted in realism, to analyze how past policies influence present actions.

(The abstract and keywords were prepared retrospectively for indexing purposes using AI-assisted tools and editorial review, based on the original article. They did not appear in the original publication.)