ABSTRACT
Amitai Etzioni is known primarily as the "godfather" of the communitarian movement and one of America's leading sociologists. Etzioni served in the Palmach, the "strike forces" of the Haganah, and the underground army of the Jewish community (Yishuv) prior to the establishment of the State of Israel and during the subsequent 1948 War of Independence. Etzioni's work appealed to constituencies that wanted a more pragmatic, cost-effective approach to American involvement in world affairs. Etzioni's musings on foreign affairs usually occur in the aftermath of a major crisis and are part of an effort to provide a "third way", in contradistinction to existing alternatives that seem both unworkable and unpalatable. Etzioni accepts the reality of less-than-perfect partners (from the perspective of adhering to liberal values) to achieve important global objectives. Creating breathing room and buffer zones, Etzioni maintained, could create the psychological space needed to decrease tensions between the superpower blocs.
