Kirkus Reviews Provides some justification for the view that the U.S. truly must act as the world's law enforcement officer given the reluctance or inability of other powers to do so. An argument, likely to fall on sympathetic ears in Washington, that when it comes to power and armaments, more is better. Publishers Weekly Cohen makes clearheaded assessments that many strategists who don't share his views and policy advice will nonetheless find strongly thought-out. Professor Andrew Roberts, author of Masters and Commanders: How Roosevelt, Churchill, Marshall and Alanbrooke Won the War in the West Any number of commentators on grand strategy are intelligent and well-informed, but Eliot Cohen is also brave and wise. Brave in unapologetically taking on the new consensus that lauds soft power over hard and trumpets neo-isolationism for the United States; wise in his analysis of what America can and must do to stay as the Top Dog world power in the 21st century. Refreshingly iconoclastic in his opinions and impeccably scholarly in his overview of American military policy from Teddy Roosevelt through to Barack Obama, this is the most eloquent defense of the continued necessity of American hard power you're ever likely to need. Eric Edelman, former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy, 2005-2009 A century before Barack Obama, the Nobel Peace Prize was awarded to President Theodore Roosevelt for his role in ending the Russo-Japanese War. Roosevelt's watchword for diplomacy was 'speak softly and carry a big stick.' Eliot Cohen has now presented the most compelling case yet for why the 'big stick' remains as essential for managing the national security challenges of the 21st Century as it was one hundred years ago. This elegantly argued and persuasive book will be essential reading for the new President's foreign and security policy team as they tackle their new responsibilities. General (Ret.) David Petraeus, commander of the Surges in Iraq and Afghanistan, subsequently Director of the CIA, and now Chairman of the KKR Global Institute A brilliant, timely, hugely important, and very well-reasoned book that considers the past fifteen years of war, examines contemporary challenges, and makes a compelling case for American leadership in the world--albeit leadership exercised prudently and thoughtfully, and in a manner that is sustainable. The guidelines Eliot Cohen proposes for the use of force are particularly valuable as America prepares to transition to a new administration. Michael Chertoff, former US Secretary of Homeland Security At a time when threats to global peace and order are multiplying, Professor Cohen lays out a clear, balanced vision for the critical role American military power and leadership must take in securing our world. Vital reading as a new US Administration prepares to take power. Ambassador William J. Burns, President, Carnegie Endowment for International Peace and former Deputy Secretary of State An eloquent argument for hard power's enduring importance in an age of global disorder and domestic diffidence. Drawing on his superb grasp of history, Eliot Cohen describes in clear and compelling detail how military force and strategy can help enable effective American diplomacy and global leadership in the 21st century. Peter Mansoor, General Raymond E. Mason Jr. Chair of Military History, The Ohio State University To a people increasingly enamored with soft power and tiring of their role as 'the indispensable nation,' Eliot Cohen makes a cogent argument for the use of military force in American foreign policy. The Big Stick is the antidote to the siren song of neo-isolationism as well as to the argument that history--and warfare--have ended.
