Exercise of Power: American Failures, Successes, and a New Path Forward in the Post-Cold War World
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- Author：Robert M. Gates
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Summary
From the former secretary of defense and author of the acclaimed #1 bestselling memoir， Duty， a candid， sweeping examination of power， and how it has been exercised， for good and bad， by American presidents in the post-Cold War world。
Since the end of the Cold War， the global perception of the United States has progressively morphed from dominant international leader to disorganized entity。 Robert Gates argues that this transformation is the result of the failure of political leaders to understand the complexity of American power， its expansiveness and its limitations。 He makes clear that the successful exercise of power is not limited to the ability to coerce or demand submission， but must also encompass diplomacy， strategic communications， development assistance， intelligence， technology， and ideology。 With forthright judgments of the performance of past presidents and their senior-most advisers， insightful firsthand knowledge， and compelling insider stories， Gates's candid， sweeping examination of power in all its manifestations argues that U。S。 national security in the future will require abiding by the lessons of the past， reimagining our approach， and revitalizing nonmilitary instruments of power essential to success and security。
Since the end of the Cold War， the global perception of the United States has progressively morphed from dominant international leader to disorganized entity。 Robert Gates argues that this transformation is the result of the failure of political leaders to understand the complexity of American power， its expansiveness and its limitations。 He makes clear that the successful exercise of power is not limited to the ability to coerce or demand submission， but must also encompass diplomacy， strategic communications， development assistance， intelligence， technology， and ideology。 With forthright judgments of the performance of past presidents and their senior-most advisers， insightful firsthand knowledge， and compelling insider stories， Gates's candid， sweeping examination of power in all its manifestations argues that U。S。 national security in the future will require abiding by the lessons of the past， reimagining our approach， and revitalizing nonmilitary instruments of power essential to success and security。
Reviews
Joey
，
Insightful， but not terribly engaging。 Gates too frequently gets bogged down in statistics， numbers， and unnecessary details。 He's at his best when he illustrates his points with stories or personal anecdotes。 We read Gates because of his access and the fact that he personally witnessed many of the events he describes。 We don't read him because his research assistants can dig up laundry lists of dollar sums showing which countries spent how much on what。Most troubling though， Gates betrays a bit Insightful， but not terribly engaging。 Gates too frequently gets bogged down in statistics， numbers， and unnecessary details。 He's at his best when he illustrates his points with stories or personal anecdotes。 We read Gates because of his access and the fact that he personally witnessed many of the events he describes。 We don't read him because his research assistants can dig up laundry lists of dollar sums showing which countries spent how much on what。Most troubling though， Gates betrays a bit of a partisan slant in this book， more so than he did in Duty， which I've also read。 It's subtle， not blatant， but it was breathtaking to me the way that he maintained that the Bush 43 administration did NOT fail to plan the aftermath of the Iraq invasion of 2003。 I don't know how one makes that argument with a straight face。It also seemed to me that Gates is too quick to note our adversaries' strengths and too hesitant to point out their weaknesses。 By his telling， Russia and China seemingly already have the United States up against the wall and it's just a waiting game until the US breathes its last。 But Gates seems to overlook rather willfully the serious weakness plaguing， or soon to plague， authoritarian states like Russia and China， from economic overextension to domestic unrest。 America has its issues， but being overtaken by its competitors is certainly not a given。 。。。more
Himadri Das
，
does a great job in defending its central thesis but found myself disagreeing on the weight of certain events （mogadishu was a failure for what we let happen after， BRI is so overrated）。 great read still
Alex
，
This is the kind of book students in national security and political science classes read。Author Robert Gates， of course， has a sterling reputation in this arena。 Beginning his career as an analyst at CIA， he rose to the top of that agency and eventually served as Secretary of Defense under Presidents Bush II and Obama。 He's a thoughtful sober man who has been a part of many of the major foreign policy choices the US has made over the last thirty or more years。In the book， Gates considers the us This is the kind of book students in national security and political science classes read。Author Robert Gates， of course， has a sterling reputation in this arena。 Beginning his career as an analyst at CIA， he rose to the top of that agency and eventually served as Secretary of Defense under Presidents Bush II and Obama。 He's a thoughtful sober man who has been a part of many of the major foreign policy choices the US has made over the last thirty or more years。In the book， Gates considers the use of American power， across the DIME spectrum， as it related to issues he worked over the course of his career。 From confronting AIDS in Africa to dealing with North Korea to working with our allies， Gates writes about the diplomatic， informational， military， and economic tools at the President's disposal。 Further， he writes about the US national security apparatus; including CIA， State， DoD， and the National Security Council; and how it has succeeded or failed with various challenges。This book isn't just a walk down memory lane， however。 In his closing chapters， Gates draws together the lessons he's learned over his long career and offers a holistic approach to national security issues that'll be sure to inform many conversations both in the classroom and in the highest levels of the American national security decisionmaking apparatus。This is a fascinating book， well written and well read by narrator George Newbern。 If you're a national security professional， you won't want to miss it。 。。。more
John C。 Becker
，
Getting in the Weeds of Foreign PolicyI have read other books by Gates and enjoyed his detailed discussions 。 His comments give me reason to weigh them against similar narratives in my search to form my own opinions。
Andrew
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A really good--if nominally biased--discussion of the methods in which power is actually exercised。 This man has so much information。 I'd love to have a long discussion with him。 Just to learn how the world really works。 A really good--if nominally biased--discussion of the methods in which power is actually exercised。 This man has so much information。 I'd love to have a long discussion with him。 Just to learn how the world really works。 。。。more
Mary
，
A valuable primer on the types of government power and how the United States has used them （successfully and unsuccessfully） throughout the world。 Gates is an experienced， principled， and devoted public servant who writes in a clear， well-organized， and （mostly） objective manner。 My only criticisms are the lack of discussion on the Israeli/Palestinian conflict and the relatively lower priority Gates gives to Russia as a threat to the United States and Europe。
Allie
，
If “Duty” was focused on his time as the Secretary of Defense and his next book focused on leadership， this one combines both - his time at CIA and DoD in different political administrations - coupled with leadership lessons he learned along the way。 I appreciated the 10K view of global issues now that he’s more removed from DoD。 Hated that he waited until the final chapter to discuss the need for diplomacy to be in the lead and that the future is in information。 Highly recommend。
Sid Groeneman
，
After serving in the military， Robert Gates began his career in the 1960s as a CIA analyst， eventually rising to become head of the agency。 He later served as Secretary of Defense in both Democratic and Republican administrations and also spent nearly nine years in the National Security Council under four presidents。 This valuable experience， along with strong academic credentials （formerly president of Texas A&M and now William and Mary University）， gives him an unparalleled perspective to comm After serving in the military， Robert Gates began his career in the 1960s as a CIA analyst， eventually rising to become head of the agency。 He later served as Secretary of Defense in both Democratic and Republican administrations and also spent nearly nine years in the National Security Council under four presidents。 This valuable experience， along with strong academic credentials （formerly president of Texas A&M and now William and Mary University）， gives him an unparalleled perspective to comment on the uses and misuses of American power in foreign policy。 "Exercise of Power" recounts each of this country's significant foreign involvements during the past 60+ years up to and including the challenges posed at present in dealing with China， Russia， North Korea， and Iran。The US's over-reliance on military power and the resulting failures is theme that runs through the book。 Before launching military action， there must be an achievable plan with a limited time horizon， the action must be welcomed by the locals， supported by opinion here at home， and mission creep avoided at all cost。 In describing the decision-making surrounding each episode， which Gates does in thorough--some would say， excessive--detail， he points out how the softer power including improved strategic communications， better use of intelligence information and analyses， more prudent use economic carrots （development assistance） and sticks （trade sanctions）， diplomacy， use of our advanced educational and technological resources， international alliances and institutions， and cyber might have produced more effective outcomes。 He underscores the irony of Congressional objections to military interventions while reducing funding of alternative instruments of power。 Gates also points to structural inadequacies in the State Department and other U。S。 agencies tasked with carrying out foreign policy。 Too often， these organizations pursue conflicting objectives， get in each others' way， and fight among themselves for funding。 Some form of centralized integrated control is the solution， as illustrated in several initiatives carried out by Bush 45。 He even briefly offers a suggestion for reform of Congressional committees。Above all， Gates warns of our nation's retreat into isolationism， countering that international engagement and global leadership is clearly in our own interest。 The U。S。 would do well to heed the advice of this qualified observer of America's power。 。。。more
Andrew
，
A new administration （Biden's） is launching its foreign policy。 For those interested in putting its approach in context， Gates' book makes for an excellent primer。 Gates examines 15 U。S。 foreign policy events to analyze why they succeeded， failed， or landed someplace in between。 Gates' essential argument is that the U。S。 has tended to under invest in and under employ non-military power to advance its interests and principles， as compared to using military force。 He is particularly critical of ou A new administration （Biden's） is launching its foreign policy。 For those interested in putting its approach in context， Gates' book makes for an excellent primer。 Gates examines 15 U。S。 foreign policy events to analyze why they succeeded， failed， or landed someplace in between。 Gates' essential argument is that the U。S。 has tended to under invest in and under employ non-military power to advance its interests and principles， as compared to using military force。 He is particularly critical of our communication and economic influencers， which he sees as poorly developed and underfunded。 He also sees government from the inside， so he comments extensively about its organizational deficiencies。 Gates provides his personal guidelines for Presidential decision making in determining whether and how to intervene in a country， with a decided bias toward caution。As one might expect from a Republican， Gates is far more praise worthy of those administrations than Democratic ones， though Gates served in both。 He is kinder than many would be to the Bush （43） administration than others might be。 Gates views Donald Rumsfeld favorably and hardly comments on Dick Cheney。 Colin Powell and Condelezza Rice are covered dispassionately。 And of course， Gates was almost always right when others were wrong。 。。。more
Jeffrey Herrmann
，
A very persuasive and urgent argument that the U。S。 must reinvest in and redeploy non-military instruments of power—as we did quite effectively during the Cold War—if we are to compete with and constrain Russia， Iran， and， especially， China in the 21st century。 Gates is a lucid thinker and clear writer who possesses a strong point of view on how we should respond to foreign policy challenges as informed by 40 years of experience in the White House situation room working under 8 different Preside A very persuasive and urgent argument that the U。S。 must reinvest in and redeploy non-military instruments of power—as we did quite effectively during the Cold War—if we are to compete with and constrain Russia， Iran， and， especially， China in the 21st century。 Gates is a lucid thinker and clear writer who possesses a strong point of view on how we should respond to foreign policy challenges as informed by 40 years of experience in the White House situation room working under 8 different Presidents。 I really enjoyed his forthright and pithy overviews of the U。S。’s involvement in a dozen different foreign policy hot spots around the world， including Russia， North Korea， Africa， Iraq， Syria， and more。 He effectively argues that， since the end of the Cold War， U。S。 presidents have too readily turned to the military and to economic sanctions versus employing a full “symphony” of instruments， including diplomacy， aid， strategic communications， culture， cyber tools， and more。 It made my blood boil to read how we have allowed so many of these tools to atrophy in recent years due to lack of appreciation， lack of funding， and—especially—lack of a strategy。He tries to maintain objectivity and even-handedness in his judgement of our recent Presidents’ successes and failures in this arena， though it’s clear he rates both Bush 41 and 43 highly; he seemed less impressed with Clinton and Obama。 He wraps up with a very good summary of lessons to be learned and possible steps forward in order to improve results。 I was most struck by his conviction that the whole national security apparatus needs restructuring and reform， as does the State Department， USAID， and a host of other agencies。 It will be difficult to accomplish this however at a time when Congress can’t seem to agree on anything and so I am pessimistic we will see this happen on Biden’s watch。 Meanwhile， China continues to invest aggressively in all the different instruments of power at home and abroad， accruing global influence and power at a rate that we will find increasing difficult to keep pace with。I found this a riveting and provocative read and I learned a lot about the history of our involvement with different countries。 I also left with a lot of sympathy for our post-Cold War presidents who， all too often， were forced to choose the “least bad option” in so many different foreign policy situations。 Gates is telling us not only that we will have more and better options if we work to rebuild our non-military instruments of power， but that we can likely avoid getting painted into corners in the first place。 I hope someone bought this book for Biden， Jake Sullivan， Antony Blinken， and Lloyd Austin for Christmas and that they read it。 。。。more
Kevin Christiansen
，
Solid discussion of US foreign affairs in the last several decades。
Jack Janzen
，
Bob Gates has had much experience at the CIA and Department of Defense since 1980 to see the good and the not so good up close。 So one must read his analysis with deep respect。His main thesis is that countries have several power tools besides military or even economic and military to apply power to a situation。 The United States has too often chosen military power and has neglected other forms of power which could have been effective。The book is a good summary of foreign policy and use of power Bob Gates has had much experience at the CIA and Department of Defense since 1980 to see the good and the not so good up close。 So one must read his analysis with deep respect。His main thesis is that countries have several power tools besides military or even economic and military to apply power to a situation。 The United States has too often chosen military power and has neglected other forms of power which could have been effective。The book is a good summary of foreign policy and use of power in the last 40 years highlighting the successes and failures， especially the failures。 Throughout he has analyzed the power strategies and has speculated as to what alternative choices could have been used。 The timing of the book， published in June 2020， is unmistakably targeted for a new administration。 No doubt all the military and foreign policy officials in the new administration have read this book and will consider his experience and wise analysis。 。。。more
Donna
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 This is a reasonably objective look at the entire spectrum of major foreign involvements and policies over the last 60-70 years。 It was historically very interesting to have theevents in dealing with one country places into chronological and longitudinal proximity i。 e。 a look at the long range big picture。 It is a major read， but a useful one。
James Pogue
，
The author argues that we overuse military power and should use a "symphony of power" instead。 The symphony of power is a well orchestrated combination of communication， diplomatic， economic， military and other power" He does this by reviewing the different sources of power and then reviewing how presidents have used power in dealing with other countries such as North Korea， Iran and China。 Mr。 Gates draws on his long experience as Secretary of Defense and CIA director。 Well reasoned， well writt The author argues that we overuse military power and should use a "symphony of power" instead。 The symphony of power is a well orchestrated combination of communication， diplomatic， economic， military and other power" He does this by reviewing the different sources of power and then reviewing how presidents have used power in dealing with other countries such as North Korea， Iran and China。 Mr。 Gates draws on his long experience as Secretary of Defense and CIA director。 Well reasoned， well written。 Of course， his is only one point of view， but a point of view worth considering。 。。。more
Bill
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Just starting this book。 Everything I've red from Robert M Gates resonates with insight and first hand experience few others have had。 He recounts events from 8 different administrations where he served。 His perspective is well worth the time to absorb by reading his newest book。 Just starting this book。 Everything I've red from Robert M Gates resonates with insight and first hand experience few others have had。 He recounts events from 8 different administrations where he served。 His perspective is well worth the time to absorb by reading his newest book。 。。。more
Ana Gabrielle
，
this book was an awful reminder of self-important shady mfers who make huge FP decisions that harm millions， all while unelected。 former secedef and CIA director Robert Gates doesn't say anything too interesting about his involvement in foreign conflicts like Iraq （which he claims was a preventative war）， and he often downplays the influence of the CIA。 supporters will read exercise of power as a call for less aggressive American hegemony。 'but he's arguing for less wars' they'll say。 but note t this book was an awful reminder of self-important shady mfers who make huge FP decisions that harm millions， all while unelected。 former secedef and CIA director Robert Gates doesn't say anything too interesting about his involvement in foreign conflicts like Iraq （which he claims was a preventative war）， and he often downplays the influence of the CIA。 supporters will read exercise of power as a call for less aggressive American hegemony。 'but he's arguing for less wars' they'll say。 but note that Gates never argues for shrinking the military， and his idea of statecraft remains largely coercive。 。。。more
Steve Beaty
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This was a fantastic book， encyclopedic in its scope。 Gates was there for much of what has happened and I appreciate his perspective。
Maria
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Gates argues that the American government was a lot more focused during the Cold War。 With a common enemy， we understood the necessity of using all the levels of government and power to fight the USSR。 Military， economic aid and development， strategic communications， intelligence and investment in scientific discovery all went to countering Soviet influence around the world。 Since the end of the Cold War， various departments within the government have road their own hobby horses。 Congress has de Gates argues that the American government was a lot more focused during the Cold War。 With a common enemy， we understood the necessity of using all the levels of government and power to fight the USSR。 Military， economic aid and development， strategic communications， intelligence and investment in scientific discovery all went to countering Soviet influence around the world。 Since the end of the Cold War， various departments within the government have road their own hobby horses。 Congress has defunded the State Department， and development aid to a dangerous level and the military has had to plan for all possible contingencies。 Gates shows this decline in effective American power by analyzing specific challenges faced by the American government in the post-Cold War period--Iran， Iraq， Afghanistan， North Korea， Syria， Libya， Russia， and China。 He tops this analysis with judgments of the performance of past presidents and their senior-most advisors， first-hand knowledge， and insider stories。Why I started this book: Overdrive hold arrived and I was aware of just how many people are waiting behind me。Why I finished it: Fascinating to see a former Secretary of Defense argue that the United States has relied too much on the military when dealing with its foreign policy。 Gates argues that we need more tools in the tool box， that we need to fund the State Department， have a better American PR department and that our military can't solve every problem。 That we need to coordinate economic power， development aid， PR， together when dealing with other countries and global crises。 。。。more
Erik Champenois
，
Most of the international relations books I read are academic so it was good to read a book written by someone actually directly engaged with U。S。 foreign policy。 And Robert Gates is one of those few people who have worked in multiple presidential administrations over several decades， including as CIA director and as secretary of defense under George W。 Bush and Obama。Gates' book is focused on the exercise of a symphony of power for an effective foreign policy - involving not just military power Most of the international relations books I read are academic so it was good to read a book written by someone actually directly engaged with U。S。 foreign policy。 And Robert Gates is one of those few people who have worked in multiple presidential administrations over several decades， including as CIA director and as secretary of defense under George W。 Bush and Obama。Gates' book is focused on the exercise of a symphony of power for an effective foreign policy - involving not just military power， but also economic power， diplomacy， cyber， development assistance， communications， alliances， sciences and technology， the private sector， and culture and ideology。 Gates then proceeds to present chapter-by-chapter reviews of U。S。 foreign policy vis-à-vis different countries， or groupings of countries， focused on the post-cold War presidents Bush Sr。， Clinton， Bush Jr。， Obama， and Trump。 Whether or not you agree with all of his opinions and conclusions， this is an important book in reviewing U。S。 foreign policy successes and failures in the post-Cold War world。 I found myself recalibrating my opinions and thinking on more than one matter as I read this book。 I also appreciated the inside institutional scope in terms of better understanding how U。S。 foreign policy actually works - or doesn't work - in institutional and organizational terms。 Gates makes a strong case for the U。S。 needing to emphasize much more strongly non-military levers of power in its foreign policy。 Too often the emphasis is on military means rather than the various other means available to us in exercising our power。 Gates also makes a strong case for being more strategic and deliberate in when and where we exercise our military power - not relying on the military for nation-building efforts， avoiding mission creep， and ensuring that we are committed to completing our strategic objectives when we send in our military rather than sending in the troops and then not giving them the required resources or letting politics end the mission too early。 I'm also more convinced， based on Gates' analysis and the historical examples presented， that military-humanitarian interventions （which I'm otherwise prone to potentially favor） are likely better dealt with through regional and international institutions rather than the U。S。 military alone。 。。。more
Ken
，
Pretty good review of geo political decisions that have been made by Presidents dating back to Reagan。 You can tell he leans Republican， but thoughtful presentation。 Criticism would be that he seems to have had all the answers。
Karen Shea
，
As an American， geopolitics is interesting for a lot of reasons。 It's a story in which we can always see ourselves as the main character and it's a riveting story: deep main character， with a lot of flaws， （like a lot） but generally a well-intentioned force。 Intentions don't really mean shit when it comes to foreign affairs apparently though。Gates successfully rids the book of partisan slant， and this makes it a more interesting read。 I've learned that POTUS is probably the worst job in the worl As an American， geopolitics is interesting for a lot of reasons。 It's a story in which we can always see ourselves as the main character and it's a riveting story: deep main character， with a lot of flaws， （like a lot） but generally a well-intentioned force。 Intentions don't really mean shit when it comes to foreign affairs apparently though。Gates successfully rids the book of partisan slant， and this makes it a more interesting read。 I've learned that POTUS is probably the worst job in the world， and that every president makes decision first as an individual with beliefs and second， as a democrat/republican， or what have you。It's also made me realize how little most Americans know the history of other countries and how that influences our engagements with them。 。。。more
Dan
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A book that argues for the necessity of realist theory in international relations in the 21st century after its shunning following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s。 Understanding the bias that comes with Gates' writing， this book provides a fresh perspective on the inner workings of the U。S。 government over the past forty years that isn't coming from the viewpoint of the State Department or the White House。 Compared to the memoirs of Samantha Power， Condoleezza Rice， or Ben Rhodes， A book that argues for the necessity of realist theory in international relations in the 21st century after its shunning following the collapse of the Soviet Union in the 1990s。 Understanding the bias that comes with Gates' writing， this book provides a fresh perspective on the inner workings of the U。S。 government over the past forty years that isn't coming from the viewpoint of the State Department or the White House。 Compared to the memoirs of Samantha Power， Condoleezza Rice， or Ben Rhodes， Gates gives the argument that the U。S。 military can not and should not be the first option to resolving the problems of the world that the president faces， but rather that we must strengthen our non-military options， such as economic， diplomatic， and strategic communication tools。 Though this may not be the intention of his writing， Gates confirms the current rule of thought that the relevance of realist theory in the modern world is its grounding in the protection of liberalist theory， linking the two camps together。 。。。more
Greynomad
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When Gates tries to white wash Bush's invasion of Iraq with over 5000 lives lost and 20-30000 injured his credibility went to zero。What a jerk When Gates tries to white wash Bush's invasion of Iraq with over 5000 lives lost and 20-30000 injured his credibility went to zero。What a jerk 。。。more
Daniel
，
Reading the book I almost feel like being the POTUS， with Gates advising me what to do with all the hot spots with American interests。 Key point is America has been too quick to use its military might but not the non-military means: social， economic and diplomatic methods。 Meanwhile， China has always followed Sun Tze’s Art of War advice: the best win is to win a war without fighting one。 1。 More propaganda of what America has done for the world。 Learn from China。 For example， how Bush refused to Reading the book I almost feel like being the POTUS， with Gates advising me what to do with all the hot spots with American interests。 Key point is America has been too quick to use its military might but not the non-military means: social， economic and diplomatic methods。 Meanwhile， China has always followed Sun Tze’s Art of War advice: the best win is to win a war without fighting one。 1。 More propaganda of what America has done for the world。 Learn from China。 For example， how Bush refused to cut food aid to North Korea because he didn’t want its citizens to suffer alongside its repressive regime。 2。 A master agency to coordinate the non military means is needed; funding needs to be increased while not cutting defence budget。 （Tough when the deficit is already so high）3。 Make military objective clear and avoid overreach， and give enough resources for the Armed forces to do the job。 Limit military force to situations where direct American interest is harmed。 Not every single dictator needs or should be disposed。 The American public no longer has the stomach for being the World Police， after the quagmires of Afghanistan， Iraq and Syria。 4。 International action has taught countries including Korea and Iran that without nuclear power they can be destroyed like Iraq， Libya， or invaded like Ukraine。 5。 Do not threaten unless you are ready to follow through， referring to Obama’s Red Line。6。 Get involved in international institutions such as WTO， NATO， Paris agreement， WHO， UN。 Consider rejoining the TPP， or even the AIIB。7。 Leave North Korea alone now that it has nuclear weapons。 The regime has probably correctly realized that it is only safe with the possession。 8。 Protect EU/NATO allies， but force them to pay more for their own defence。 9。 China is the biggest threat。 Use non military means because it is super strong。 10。 Invest in Africa again; China is already its number one trading partner。 11。 America will realistically need to work with dictators but it does not need to love them。 It should continue to spread diplomacy。 12。 America cannot always ensure good outcome despite the best strategy because local institutions may be weak， infrastructures poor or cultural differences too great。 A great book！ However after reading this， one realizes that in order for the international community not to crush your despotic authoritarian regime， you need to develop nuclear weapons even if it means starving your people。。。 otherwise you will become the next Saddam Hussein/Gaddafi。。。 。。。more
Melissa Johns
，
Really impressed with this - critical look at the used of different elements of national power through three presidencies。 I liked his approach and holistic arguments。
Derek
，
I learned a lot from this book。 In each chapter， Gates covers a different country with which the US has either engaged militarily or had other other major relations。 At the start of each chapter， he lays out each country's history， specifically as it relates to the US。 Then he provides a clear breakdown of what went well for the US in its actions toward that country， what could or should have been handled differently， and how future presidents can do better。You can find all the history in the bo I learned a lot from this book。 In each chapter， Gates covers a different country with which the US has either engaged militarily or had other other major relations。 At the start of each chapter， he lays out each country's history， specifically as it relates to the US。 Then he provides a clear breakdown of what went well for the US in its actions toward that country， what could or should have been handled differently， and how future presidents can do better。You can find all the history in the book from other sources， but if you're not well versed in US history after the Cold War， you'll learn a lot。 In terms of the analysis by Gates， I thoroughly enjoyed how simply he breaks down the ways US power has been used well or poorly。 The book was also well written and didn't feel as dense as similar books I have read。 Overall， I highly recommend his book if you want to learn more about US foreign affairs over the past few decades。 。。。more
George
，
While a little partisan， still some good materials。
Matt Davis
，
A sobering and even-handed look at the successes and failures of American administrations after the cold war。 This book helped me exit my echo chamber a bit。 Gates has a clear view of the need for American power in forms far beyond military。 At our best， we could be united behind our ideals。 Gates unabashedly says we need to be sure people know the good we are doing and give us credit for it。 Little about the book acknowledges legitimate gripes others might have with American power， but it does A sobering and even-handed look at the successes and failures of American administrations after the cold war。 This book helped me exit my echo chamber a bit。 Gates has a clear view of the need for American power in forms far beyond military。 At our best， we could be united behind our ideals。 Gates unabashedly says we need to be sure people know the good we are doing and give us credit for it。 Little about the book acknowledges legitimate gripes others might have with American power， but it does highlight the importance of US promotion of democratic ideals。 Otherwise， we run the risk of being only one of a handful of options for smaller countries to choose from as oppressive overlord。 The book is enlightening， though a bit dense。 It slowed my reading progress， but I'm glad to have read it。 。。。more
Dan Graser
，