We won’t have George W. Bush to kick around anymore. Wait, one more time!

My latest column for The National Interest is now online.  It assesses the strategic legacy of Bush 43 (hint:  it’s not pretty).  In the last paragraph, I wade into the Stephen Walt–Peter Feaver brouhaha over Bush’s management of the great powers: Bush’s strategic blunders have been so massive that they explain his greatest tactical success—the ...

By , a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast.

My latest column for The National Interest is now online.  It assesses the strategic legacy of Bush 43 (hint:  it's not pretty). 

My latest column for The National Interest is now online.  It assesses the strategic legacy of Bush 43 (hint:  it’s not pretty). 

In the last paragraph, I wade into the Stephen WaltPeter Feaver brouhaha over Bush’s management of the great powers:

Bush’s strategic blunders have been so massive that they explain his greatest tactical success—the management of great-power relations. From a Chinese perspective, George W. Bush was an unparalleled strategic gift. He was a leader of a rival power who accelerated his country’s relative decline, easing the way for a larger Chinese role in the Asia-Pacific region. Of course Beijing would be friendly with a regime like that. The cruelest irony of the Bush administration is that those who will miss him the most will be the other great powers. 

It seems kind of churlish to say goodbye on that note, so here’s one positive Bushlink for today:  Norman Ornstein is correct in his New York Times op-ed today when he writes that, "there is one area where President Bush’s legacy will be strong and admirable — the way he is leaving office."

Enjoy the ranch, George!

Daniel W. Drezner is a professor of international politics at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University and co-host of the Space the Nation podcast. Twitter: @dandrezner

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