What to Read About the History of Strategy this Summer

War on the Rocks

News, Politics

4.6 • 1.1K Ratings

🗓️ 15 July 2016

⏱️ 44 minutes

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Summary

What big think books on strategy in history should you add to you shelf this summer? Our editor-in-chief, Ryan Evans, sat down with two authors of two of his favorite books this year. First, he spoke to Hal Brands, author of the new book Making the Unipolar Moment: U.S. Foreign Policy and the Rise of the Post-Cold War Order (Cornell). Hal has just taken up a professorship at the Kissinger Center at the School of Advanced International Studies in Washington. Next, Ryan sat down with John Bew of the King's College London War Studies Department, author of Realpolitik: A History (Oxford), and interviewed him with the help of Iskander Rehman of the Brookings Institution, who reviewed John's book. (As a teaser for some of our nerdier listeners out there, I tempt Iskander and John into attacking American political science near the end.) Hal's book tells the story of how America understood (and often misunderstood) its own power from the 1970s through the end of the Cold War, taking us through the Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, and Bush administrations. In Realpolitik, John tells the story of this often misused word from its origins in 19th century Germany all the way through the Obama administration. Both books are sweeping, engaging, original, and readable. Have a listen!

Transcript

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0:00.0	This is the War on the Rock's Podcast on Strategy, Defense and Foreign Affairs.
0:10.0	My name is Ryan Evans. I'm the editor-in-chief of Warren the rocks. In this episode I speak to Hal Brands about his new book, Making the Unipolar moment.
0:17.0	Next, Iskinder-Reckman of the Brookings Institution helps me interview John Bue about his book, Real Politique, a history.
0:24.0	Both of these books are definitely worth your time this summer, and before we get to the
0:27.8	interviews, a quick word from our sponsor.
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0:44.4	visit Chapman.EDU slash MA-war society. That's Chapman.
0:50.3	E.D.U slash MA-war society. And now let's jump in my interview with HAL.
0:55.0	HAL Brands is the Henry A Kissinger Distinguished Professor at the Kissinger
1:02.0	Center for Global Affairs, which is a new center at the School of Advanced International Studies here in Washington.
1:07.0	I spoke to him about his new book, Making the Unipolar Moment.
1:11.0	Howell, thanks for sitting down with me today.
1:13.1	My pleasure, thanks for having me.
1:14.9	Now, I couldn't have planned this better.
1:17.2	Hal actually suggested the location, but we are sitting in a restaurant called
1:21.2	Saigon, Saigon near the Pentagon.
1:24.0	And what's interesting about that is sort of where your book starts
1:28.0	is this book making the unipolar moment really starts in the aftermath of Vietnam
1:32.0	in this period of sort of great pessimism.
1:35.0	One, why did you want to write a book covering this specific historical time period from the 70s all the way up until the end of the Cold War?
	...

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