Department of State Books & Reviews

The Willing Misinterpreter

Despite Goldhagen's extraordinary claims, he himself concedes in his unwittingly revealing afterword that he is not presenting much in the way of original research.

Machiavelli Revisited

With great power comes great responsibility. But Washington is adrift and our country in search of a strategy. Foreign-policy heavyweight Les Gelb wittily channels a master to update the classic realpolitik definition of power.

The Laws of War

Stopping torture and changing the policies of the Bush administration may not be enough. With a whole new type of terrorist bred from extraordinary rendition and torture, the last eight years may well prove inescapable.

The Age of Woman

Can women keep us safe? For all the talk of a rise of women to positions of power, there is still a dearth of the female perspective in national security. With the unprecedented appointment of three women to some of the highest posts in the new ad

Reflections from the Right

The conservative movement is cracking up—just look at three memoirs of former administration officials. These new books may engage in justification and self-aggrandizement, but they do prescribe salves for fixing the conservative experiment.

A Ticking Bomber

There is no simple answer to the causes of terrorism. But three books offer insight into the complexities of man and his motivation to kill. These explanations come not from academic tomes, nor expositions by the burgeoning cottage industry of ter

Report and Retort: Man of Steel, Re-forged

Geoffrey Roberts, the author of Stalin's Wars, responds to Andrew J. Bacevich's review of the book in the September/October issue of The National Interest.

Remember Prussia?

The improbable ascent, sudden collapse and subsequent re-imagination of Prussia.

Man of Steel, Re-forged

Geoffrey Roberts treads through morally hazardous territory portraying Stalin as a great statesman.

Field Marshal McNamara

Managing the Pentagon and managing wars are two different things, a lesson Robert McNamara learned the hard way.

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May 26, 2012