Although he was an expert on Russian history and affairs, George F. Kennan did not focus solely on the Soviet Union. As the director of the State Department’s Policy Planning Staff, he worked toward coordinating American foreign policy around the world. “PPS/23: Review of Current Trends in U.S. Foreign Policy,” published February 28, 1948, is one of his attempts to identify the major global problems facing American policymakers and suggest strategies for coordinating policy decisions based on cost/ benefit analyses.