Security Books & Reviews

Dilemmas of the Modern Navy

The maritime services are under growing strain. But is there really no alternative to U.S. sea hegemony in the same form we have seen it in since 1945?

The McChrystal Way of War

The general was an innovative thinker in the midst of major changes in the Army.

Al Qaeda Rises in Yemen's Chaos

How the deadly offshoot of the infamous terror group got its start.

Generals on the Firing Line

Tom Ricks thinks we don’t make generals like we used to. He may be right.

Gambling with the Fate of the World

Why has there been no World War III? A new tome probes the Cold War policy most relevant to this puzzle—Eisenhower’s doctrine of “massive retaliation” threatening a nuclear response against conventional threats.

The Army's Role in Israeli Politics

Has Israel’s military elite distorted Israeli politics—and rendered peace impossible—through its aggressive view of the world?

The Peculiar Life of Joseph Kennedy

From his mercurial personality to his delusions of aptitude in the political realm to his catastrophic diplomatic appointment, a new book provides a thorough account of Kennedy’s life and all of its many highs and lows.

Learning the Lessons of Afghanistan

A new book exposes the weak feedback loops that doom Washington to repeat the same mistakes.

Pinstripe Warriors

Two recent books explore the enduring dichotomy between diplomats and soldiers and pose questions for the future of effective diplomacy.

The Critique of Pure Kagan

Robert Kagan has issued a cri de coeur urging Americans to reject calls for reduced U.S. military spending, curtailments in the country’s global commitments and restraint on its interventionist impulses. But his prescriptions are shortsighted.

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May 21, 2013