The Future of Power was written by the man who coined the term “soft power” in the 1980s and is an expert on foreign affairs. Joseph S. Nye Jr. first gained acclaim when he founded, with Robert Keohane, the idea of neoliberalism, as it relates to international relations. It is one of the two major approaches, with neorealism, that govern the field. Borrowing from the wikipedia entry, neoliberalism is “a school of thought which believes that states are, or at least should be, concerned first […]
Army Chief of Staff Reading List #2
Matterhorn reminds me a little of The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead in I had to look up to see if the books were fiction or non-fiction. I found Marlantes’ depiction of war that believable and visceral. While not an expert in any way, I have deployed twice so I understand some of what that means. Unlike the characters from Bravo Company in this novel, I never spent time “in the bush” and if I am being completely honest, they would look down on me […]
What made, and still makes, America great.
First and foremost, I’m sorry for the sensationalized header. I hope I didn’t make your eyes twitch but I think it is an accurate title independent of the political climate. Back in February, I had the opportunity to ask a question to a Two-star Army General and I asked him what books he recommended. He said this was the most recent book he finished and that he highly recommended it so it entered the queue. A few months later, the Army Chief of Staff added […]
The Cost of Unintended Consequences
The premise of Blowback is very interesting. It aims to examine the role of shortsighted policy decisions made by the U.S. and the long-term, unintended consequences they created. This is another book I chose to read, rather listen to, after discovering it on the Army Chief of Staff’s recommended reading list for 2013. The book was listed of the CoS’ list under the section for broadening leaders. The list is intended to “complement materials currently used in the Army educational system and can help bridge […]