Greg Russell

Greg Russell is Associate Professor of Political Science and Chair of the Department of Political Science. He has been at the university since 1991 and chair since 2001.

JOHN QUINCY ADAMS AND THE PUBLIC VIRTUES OF DIPLOMACY
Greg Russell
University of Missouri Press (1995)

"This thought-provoking new study by Greg Russell brings together for the first time an investigation of Adams' literary, philosophical, and political careers. Studying Adams' statesmanship as an expression of distinct intellectual and diplomatic traditions, Russell offers a thorough review of Adams' grounding in classical and Christian traditions and demonstrates the role those traditions played in his understanding of American constitutionalism, statesmanship and citizenship. Russell concludes his unique study by addressing the issues that confront a democratic society today. Arguing that recent ideological and political upheavals worldwide challenge anew the national purpose and security of the United States, Russell maintains that Adams' career offers a remarkable example for today's world. Historians, political theorists, theologians, and foreign-policy commentators will find this book invaluable." (American Political Biography)

"Although Adams was one of 19th-century America's most accomplished diplomats, little has been written about his diplomatic philosophy. Russell (political science, University of Oklahoma) reviews Adams's grounding in classical and Christian traditions and shows the role those traditions played in his understanding of American constitutionalism, statesmanship, and citizenship." (Booknews, Inc., September 1, 1995)

"After a brief survey of Adams's life, Russell examines Adams's political realism and Christian ethics as an expression of classical and modern political thought and of his religious heritage. He explores Adams's position on the relationship between domestic and foreign obligations for republican governments, and analyzes his writings and orations on the founding period, the values of the American nation, and the early nation's diplomatic policy....A conclusion [seeks to] summarize the foreign policy principles and lessons of Adams's statesmanship and its continuing relevance today." (Choice)

"Although John Quincy Adams (1767–1848) was one of nineteenth-century America's most accomplished diplomats and statesmen, very little has been written on his diplomatic philosophy. This thought-provoking new study by Greg Russell brings together for the first time an investigation of Adams's literary, philosophical, and political careers. Studying Adams's statesmanship as an expression of distinct intellectual and diplomatic traditions, Russell offers a thorough review of Adams's grounding in classical and Christian traditions and demonstrates the role those traditions played in his understanding of American constitutionalism, statesmanship, and citizenship.

Throughout his life Adams was drawn inexorably to the intersection of ethics and statesmanship. His defense of international law was inseparable from his Christian faith, with its emphasis on the pursuit of justice and established mutualities in the relations of nations. In his judgment, national self-restraint was crucial to national success and survival, and America's success in the world would be dependent upon the nation's own moral and spiritual stamina in self-government. Adams strengthened this connection through numerous orations and writings on the conflicting vitalities of human nature, the meaning of history, and the nature of virtue and happiness in politics and government. Russell concludes his unique study by addressing the issues that confront a democratic society today. Arguing that recent ideological and political upheavals world-wide challenge anew the national purpose and security of the United States, Russell maintains that Adams's career offers a remarkable example for today's world. Historians, political theorists, theologians, and foreign-policy commentators will find this book invaluable." (from publisher)

"Russell's singular study analyzes John Quincy Adams's political thinking as reflected in both his writings and political career, and contributes to a more complete and deeper understanding of one of America's foremost statesmen." (M. L. Dolan– Choice)

"The book is a good deal more than a series of present-day questions arbitrarily imposed on the past. Russell has immersed himself in the vast collection of Adams letters, diaries and memoirs ....Russell has dug and thought deeply enough to recognize that Adams defies all the conventional categories....If, as Russell clearly believes, he has something to teach us today, it just might be due to the fact that the end of the American century poses choices eerily reminiscentof those faced by statesmen who pre-dated the full arrival of American hegemony." (Joseph J. Ellis–The American Historical Review)

"A half century ago, the venerable Samuel Flagg Bemis made a major contribution toward the enshrinement of John Quincy Adams as the foremost secretary of state of the antebellum era. Most historians still accept that judgment. Political scientist Greg Russell adds a different dimension to the literature by exploring Adams's philosophy rather than his policy....All can benefit...from the author's insightful analysis of the philosophy of the brilliant and frustrated New Englander." (John M. Belohlavek–The Journal of American History)

RECONCILING INTERNAL RIGHTS AND EXTERNAL WRONGS
The Force of Arms and Ideas in War: Case Study #13
(Pew Case Studies in International Affairs)
Greg Russell
Carnegie Council on Ethics & International Affairs (1991)

HANS J. MORGENTHAU AND THE ETHICS OF AMERICAN STATECRAFT
(Political Traditions in Foreign Policy Series)
Greg Russell
Louisiana State University Press (1990)

"This is a study of the author of Politics Among Nations (BRD 1948, 1949, 1954, 1961) and other books on international relations. "In his preface, Russell writes that 'the objective of this study is to differentiate Morgenthau's theory and philosophy of American realism from the normative roots and political concepts associated with the European heritage of raison d'etat'....[The first chapter presents] summaries of the contributions of Thucydides, Machiavelli, Richelieu, Hobbes, and Bismarck....Most of the volume deals with the...views of Hans J. Morgenthau on diplomacy and statecraft, with emphasis on the national interest, power, and morality and with particular reference to U.S. foreign policy and diplomacy since World War II." (The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science)

"Morgenthau's writings yield plenty of evidence to support an obsession with power, the balance of power, and the lust for power at every level of human activity. Happily, there are exceptions in his writings that support...[Russell's] ethics thesis....In a review of the sixth edition of Politics Among Nations...Stanley Hoffmann described Morgenthau's realism as unsatisfactory because of its inability to deal with 'revolutionary hurricanes and nuclear explosions.' A 'struggle for power realism' should be replaced by 'a realism of struggle and world order' that is yet to emerge. Russell's book, with its emphasis on the moral and ethical side of realist thinking, is a much needed step in this direction." (Robert J. Myers–Society)

"Russell...seeks to provide insight into the normative roots of Morgenthau's world view in order to explain some of the peculiarities and recurrent traits of the contemporary American approach to world affairs that puzzle foreign observers; he also seeks to promote critical self-understanding of America's moral presuppositions and ingrained habits of thought affecting its foreign policy." (Book News, Inc., Portland, OR)

"...In essence this is a work of political theory and analysis. It nonetheless serves effectively to make clear the scholarly integrity and intellectual courage of Hans J. Morgenthau that led him to rigorous thought and an unflinching willingness to speak the truth as he saw it to the powers that be. In a time of much facile analysis of international affairs, Morgenthau stands as a salutary example. Russell's fine book helps one appreciate this." (Wilson D. Miscamble –The Journal of American History)

"Russell's careful analysis helps to refute 'the popular misconception that his (Morgenthau's) political thought is concerned exclusively with power to the neglect of purpose and morality.' Frequent comparisons and contrasts of Morgenthau's realism with that of three other leading American exponents—George F. Kennan, Reinhold Niebuhr, and Walter Lippmann—add to the value of Russell's exposition. Morgenthau was not only a profound scholar; he was also a political activist. He was a persistent critic of many aspects of post-World War II American foreign policy." (Norman D. Palmer–The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science)