Around the Cragged Hill: A Personal and Political Philosophy

Kennan airs controversial opinions in this book of personal and political reflections. Deeming the U.S. to be severely overpopulated, he dreams of a decentralized America broken into 12 constituent republics. He opposes ``forced desegregation'' of schools and urges U.S. leaders to adopt a modest foreign policy with a minimum of external involvement and large cutbacks in foreign aid. The goal, he stresses, should be to get our own house in order. ``We are a nation of bad social habits,'' he chides, citing the national addictions to television, the automobile and junk mail. To tap the wisdom of the citizenry, the eminent scholar-statesman (author of 18 books; former ambassador to the Soviet Union) calls for the creation of a Council of State, an advisory body to the federal government that would address public-policy issues. He also sets forth his thoughts on what he calls ``the demonic side of human nature,'' defined as our instinctive compulsion to sexual activity and the ego's endless search for reassurance. (Jan.)