Every Citizen a Statesman

“Revelatory… Allen’s book might…be best interpreted as a message in a bottle, waiting to be picked up in a generation or two by people who hopefully live in a less undemocratic and unequal world. It will be up to them to begin the process of taking control of the state as they attempt to realize one of democracy’s highest aims: a policy by the people, not merely just for them.”—Daniel Bessner, Boston Review

“Illuminating… Allen tells an elegiac tale of the attempt to make U.S. diplomacy more democratically accountable. At a time when long-held foreign policy pieties on everything from free trade to military interventions have come unstuck, Allen’s book also serves as a guide—a record of efforts to democratize foreign affairs and their pitfalls.”—Andrew Lanham, New Republic

“Every Citizen a Statesman will undoubtedly prove essential reading for historians across a variety of fields… Allen argues persuasively that the eventual creation of foreign policy free of public opinion was contested, not predetermined.”—Madelyn Lugli, Tocqueville 21

“Every Citizen a Statesman demonstrates that perennial questions about democracy and foreign policy are still worth asking, even if the answers remain out of reach.”—Tyler McBrien, Lawfare

“U.S. leaders often proclaim that a successful foreign policy requires public support. Yet they have been reluctant to cede power to a public with little expertise in the subject. With a firm grasp of the historical materials, a fluid writing style, and a gift for narrative, Allen shows that the United States has never figured out what a truly ‘democratic’ foreign policy might be. This fascinating book is a pleasure to read, and the lessons it draws are both timely and troubling.”—Stephen M. Walt, author of The Hell of Good Intentions: America’s Foreign Policy Elite and the Decline of U.S. Primacy

“An elegant, insightful, and wonderfully original work of history. Simultaneously a richly detailed case study of the forgotten Foreign Policy Association and a thoughtful meditation on the nature of public opinion, Every Citizen a Statesman forces us to grapple with an essential question: what would it take to democratize American foreign policy?”—Sam Lebovic, author of A Righteous Smokescreen: Postwar America and the Politics of Cultural Globalization

“A compelling and original book. Tracing the rise of the Foreign Policy Association, an organization formed to align democracy and diplomacy in the twentieth century, Allen shows how tragically difficult it can be to close the gap between powerful policymakers and a public that sees foreign affairs as distant from daily life. This insightful work shows that the relationship between the ideals of democracy and the practice of foreign policy remains as complex and relevant as ever.”—Jeremi Suri, author of Civil War by Other Means: America’s Long and Unfinished Fight for Democracy

“Is an authentically democratic foreign policy—that is, a foreign policy stemming from a deeply engaged public—a noble dream, a potential reality, or a fool’s errand? Allen takes up this question with an evenhanded approach and a real mastery of the source material. Timely and well argued, Every Citizen a Statesman is a major contribution to the study of U.S. foreign relations and political history. A superb, fascinating book.”—Christopher McKnight Nichols, author of Promise and Peril: America at the Dawn of a Global Age