The Complete Cold War Series w/ Thomas777 - 1/3

In 'The End of Europe: Dictators, Demagogues, and the Coming Dark Age', James Kirchick examines the challenges facing Europe, including the rise of populist nationalism, anti-Semitism, and the destabilizing influence of Russia. The book provides a firsthand account of these crises and their implications for the future of liberal democracy in Europe.

In this book, Henry Kissinger provides a sweeping history of diplomacy, focusing on the 20th century and the Western World. He discusses the concepts of balance of power, Realpolitik, and the differences in national styles of diplomacy. Kissinger draws from his own experiences as a key figure in U.S. foreign policy, including his negotiations with leaders such as de Gaulle, Nixon, Chou En-lai, Mao Tse-tung, Reagan, and Gorbachev. The book critiques various diplomatic approaches, including collective security and self-determination, and argues for a return to European-style realpolitik in U.S. foreign policy after the Cold War.

Written against the backdrop of the nuclear arms race in the late 1950s, this book sets forth Thomas Schelling's vision of game theory as a unifying framework for the social sciences. It explores areas where progress has been least satisfactory, including negotiations, war and threats of war, criminal deterrence, extortion, and tacit bargaining. Schelling's analysis highlights enlightening similarities between various conflict scenarios, such as maneuvering in limited war and in a traffic jam, and deterring adversaries versus one’s own children. His work emphasizes the importance of strategic commitments, the credibility of uncertain retaliation, and the exploitation of potential force rather than its application. The book has significantly influenced conflict resolution and the development of game theory across the social sciences.

In this book, Daniel Ellsberg chronicles his experiences as a nuclear war planner during the Cold War, revealing shocking details about the delegation of authority to initiate nuclear attacks, secret plans for general nuclear war, and the precarious nature of nuclear strategy. The book is divided into two parts: the first part is a memoir/confession of Ellsberg's intellectual and moral evolution, while the second part adopts a more academic perspective, analyzing the principles of 'just war' policy and the consequences of nuclear exchanges. Ellsberg argues that little has changed in nuclear policy since the Eisenhower and Kennedy years and offers feasible steps to dismantle the 'doomsday machine' and avoid nuclear catastrophe.