Supreme Command
Soldiers, Statesmen and Leadership in Wartime
by:
Eliot A. Cohen
in:
Military History
Summary:
The book examines the relationships between civilian leaders and military generals during wartime, focusing on how successful leaders like Lincoln, Clemenceau, Churchill, and Ben-Gurion balanced military expertise with political judgment. It challenges the conventional wisdom of the "normal theory" of civil-military relations, advocating for a model of "unequal dialogue" where statesmen guide strategy while respecting military professionalism.
Key points:
1. Unequal Dialogue: Cohen describes a relationship where civilian leaders and military commanders discuss war strategies, but civilians have the final say, upholding democratic principles.
Books similar to "Supreme Command":
Dereliction of Duty
H. R. McMaster
The Generals
Winston Groom
Duty
Robert Michael Gates
Citizen Soldiers
Stephen E. Ambrose
Eisenhower in War and Peace
Jean Edward Smith
On War
General Carl von Clausewitz|Colonel J.J. Graham
Their Finest Hour
Winston S. Churchill
The Fog of War
James G. Blight|janet M. Lang
The Lion's Gate
Steven Pressfield
The Guns at Last Light
Rick Atkinson