ABSTRACT
If a contest were held for the best extended essay on the state of the world by a living former president of the United States, Richard Nixon's Seize the Moment: America's Challenge in a One-Superpower World would win the prize. If eligibility were extended to allow participation by former heads of government in other countries, Nixon's book would still be a good bet, but entries by Margaret Thatcher, Helmut Schmidt, and Yasuhiro Nakasone would make the contest closer and more interesting. Nixon forecasts a future in which the republics of the former Soviet Union can be "not only allies, but also friends" of the United States. If Nixon's book is at times as much sermon as it is analysis, he has the fundamentals right. His generally upbeat attitude toward America's opportunities and capabilities provides a refreshing contrast to the "nattering negativism" that abounds in many pronouncements by members of the community of foreign policy experts.
