Supreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadership in WartimeFree Press, 2002 - 288 pages Using the example of great modern leaders - Lincoln, Clemenceau, Churchill and Ben Gurion - all of whom were without military experience, Supreme Command argues that, in fact, civilian statesman can be brilliant commanders in times of war. Supreme Command is about leadership in wartime, or more precisely about the tension between two kinds of leadership, civil and military. Eliot Cohen uncovers the nature of strategy-making by looking at four great democratic war statesman and seeing how they dealt with the military leaders who served them. In doing so he reveals fundamental aspects of leadership and provides not merely an historical analysis but a study of issues that remain crucial today. By examining the cases of four of the greatest war statesmen of the twentieth century he explores the problem of how people confront the greatest challenges that can befall them, in this case national leaders. Beginning with a discussion of civil-military relations from a theoretical point of view, Cohen lays out the conventional beliefs about how politicians should deal with generals and the extent to which either can influence the outcome of war. From these he draws broader lessons for student |
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Page 175
... civilian leaders " made the mili- tary fight with a hand tied behind its back , " and that the key to success in the future would be soldiers given a free hand to do their jobs . This diagnosis , radically incomplete at best and ...
... civilian leaders " made the mili- tary fight with a hand tied behind its back , " and that the key to success in the future would be soldiers given a free hand to do their jobs . This diagnosis , radically incomplete at best and ...
Page 180
... civilian leadership held back from the kinds of bruising discussions with ... leaders decided to make war their way , without their military advisers ... civilian leaders believed they had to live with . To be sure , much of the blame for ...
... civilian leadership held back from the kinds of bruising discussions with ... leaders decided to make war their way , without their military advisers ... civilian leaders believed they had to live with . To be sure , much of the blame for ...
Page 193
... - ability to come up with a ground - war plan that made sense to civilian leaders did not force a crisis at the top - it merely elicited another surge in men and machines to a theater already inundated with LEADERSHIP WITHOUT GENIUS 193.
... - ability to come up with a ground - war plan that made sense to civilian leaders did not force a crisis at the top - it merely elicited another surge in men and machines to a theater already inundated with LEADERSHIP WITHOUT GENIUS 193.
Contents
THE SOLDIER AND THE STATESMAN | 1 |
LINCOLN SENDS A LETTER | 15 |
CLEMENCEAU PAYS A VISIT 32 | 52 |
Copyright | |
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Allied American Arab arms Army attack battle Ben-Gurion Britain British campaign Carl von Clausewitz Chiefs of Staff Churchill Churchill's Civil civil-military relations civilian control civilian leaders Clausewitz Clemenceau coalition commander in chief conduct conflict Dana David Ben-Gurion decision defense enemy example Ferdinand Foch fight Foch Foch's France France's French front George H. W. Bush German Grant Gulf Gulf war Haganah Halleck high command historians Huntington Ibid Iraqi Ismay Israel Israel Defense Forces Israeli Jerusalem Jewish Jews John Keegan Joint Chiefs less Lincoln matters ment mili military advisers military leaders Mordacq offensive officers operations organization Palestine Palmach peace Pétain politicians president prime minister problem professional remarked role secretary senior served soldiers Stanton statesmen strategy subordinates tary telegraph theory of civil-military tion Union United University Press victory Vietnam warfare wartime Winston World War II Yadin Yigal Alon yishuv York Zionist