Soldiers, Statesmen, and Cold War Crises [Paperback]

Richard K. Betts (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 28, 1991

Soldiers, Statesmen, and Cold War Crisis explores, in fascinating depth, the nature, direction, and impact of military and civilian influence on violence. Richard K. Betts discusses the post-war involvement of U.S. military and nonmilitary leaders in decisions on the use of force in foreign affairs, and the variety of advice from the different military services. Twenty intervention decisions and ten escalation desicions in crises are examined, including Korea, Berlin, Cuba, and Vietnam. To update this edition Betts has written a preface analyzing the significance of the issues in light of the evolution of events and information declassified since the book's original publication. He has also written an epilogue discussing several recent cases.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A superb work

(Perspective )

An excellent use of analysis to separate policy fact from speculative fiction, disproving the widely held assumption that military professionals are more aggressive than civilian leaders in advocating the use of force.... An extremely important study...

(Foreign Affairs )

One of the most profound and perceptive books about the management of violence yet to appear....[with] thoroughness of research, elegance of writing and persuasion of argument...

(Survival )

About the Author

Richard K. Betts is director of the Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and author of numerous books on military strategy and foreign policy. He has served on the National Commission on Terrorism, staffs of the Senate Intelligence Committee and National Security Council, and advisory panels for the Director of Central Intelligence.

Product Details

• Paperback: 326 pages
• Publisher: Columbia University Press; Morningside ed edition (October 28, 1991)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0231074697
• ISBN-13: 978-0231074698
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,619,195 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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