Supreme Command: Soldiers, Statesmen And Leadership In Wartime

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Simon and Schuster, 2012 M10 1 - 352 pages
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 statesmen 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 students of leadership generally.

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Contents

PREFACE
THE SOLDIER AND THE STATESMAN
LINCOLN SENDS A LETTER
CLEMENCEAU PAYS A VISIT
CHURCHILL ASKS A QUESTION
BENGURION HOLDS A SEMINAR
LEADERSHIP WITHOUT GENIUS
THE UNEQUAL DIALOGUE
THE THEORY OF CIVILIAN CONTROL
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About the author (2012)

Eliot A. Cohen is Robert E. Osgood Professor of Strategic Studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies (SAIS) of the Johns Hopkins University and founding director of the Philip Merrill Center for Strategic Studies. From 2007 to 2009 he was Counselor of the Department of State, serving as Secretary Condoleezza Rice's senior advisor on strategic issues.

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