Winning the World Lessons for America's Future from the Cold War

Subjects:

• Political Science » International Relations
• Military Studies » Strategy & Tactics
• Military Studies » Military & Politics
• Political Science » Political Science (General)

Reviews:

• This challenging and provocative volume is based on two strongly stated ideas. First, the Cold War between the US and USSR was an ideological struggle. Political realists who view the Cold War as a struggle for power misunderstand the real issue. The Soviet Union and the US were fighting over who would have the opportunity to structure the world and what ideology--democracy or communism--would form the basis of that world order. Second, the Cold War was not the last war of its kind, but the first of many to come. Particularly, in the aftermath of September 11, Nichols argues, understanding this premise is crucial....Highly recommended. All levels.
  —Choice September 2003
• Winning the World paints a compelling portrait of the character of the Cold War, and the author's arguments as to why the West triumphed in that conflict are intriguing and thoughtful. It is well worth reading and, given the current Global War Against Terrorism, its emphasis on the lessons of the Cold War and their importance for the current struggle against highly ideological enemies is timely indeed.
  —Comparative Strategy 2004
• Ideological enemies such as radical Islamic terrorists will fight whether or not the United States chooses to do so. The real lesson from this superb work, which must be read by academics and policymakers alike, is that future, ideologically based foes mused be faced with the hard power of arms and sanctions, as well as the soft power of positive cultural and economic traits, to ensure success for an American-style democracy.
  —Perspectives on Political Science .

• Endorsement From Monica Duffy Toft
  Assistant Director, John M. Olin Institute for Strategic Studies
  Harvard University: The book is provocative. . . . Scholars of the Cold War will have to contend with his argument that the United States definitively won the Cold War against the Soviet Union, and that although this victory was quiet, it should be heralded.
• Endorsement From Robert Jervis
  Columbia University: In this strongly argued book, Thomas Nichols puts nuclear weapons and ideology back in the center of the Cold War, where they belong, and makes a good case for their continuing importance in today's more confusing world. Even those who disagree will learn and be stimulated by his important analysis.

Table of Contents:

• Preface
• From the Cold War to "Cold Wars": Can it Happen Again?
• The Centrality of Ideology
• From the "Two Camps" to Korea: Soviet Ideology and the Origins of the Cold War
• Contesting the World
• The Limits of Détente
• Jimmy Carter and the Mounting Crisis
• The 1980's: Fighting to Win or Prolonging the Agony
• Managing the End
• Lessons from the Cold War