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

by Thomas M. Nichols

At the dawn of the 21st century, it should be evident that the Cold War of 1945-1991 was but the first of its kind. Nichols urges the reader to consider previous resolutions before another such conflict arises. He asserts that the Cold War was essentially a clash of ideologies tempered by the ever-present threat of nuclear annihilation. Victory for the West came quietly, without the final and utterly destructive war often envisioned.

Undoubtedly, the end of the Cold War was a signal victory for the West, and for the United States in particular. Yet Nichols reminds that enemies of the ideals of democracy, capitalism, and liberty abound and will lash out against western states that hold true to them. When this occurs, it will be imperative for the West to remember key lessons taken from the Cold War. Nichols argues that conflicts driven by dissonant ideologies differ from wars fought over resources and territory, and must therefore be fought differently.

280 pages, Hardcover

First published December 30, 2002

About the author

Dr. Thomas M. Nichols is a professor of National Security Affairs at the U.S. Naval War College and an adjunct professor in the Harvard Extension School. He also taught at Dartmouth College, Georgetown University (where he earned his PhD), and other schools and lecture programs.

He is currently a Senior Associate of the Carnegie Council on Ethics and International Affairs, and a Fellow of the International History Institute at Boston University.

He has also been a Fellow of the International Security Program and the Project on Managing the Atom at the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

In his Washington days, Professor Nichols was a fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a consultant to the U.S. government, and a research analyst for private industry. Later, he served as personal staff for foreign and defense affairs to the late U.S. Senator John Heinz of Pennsylvania

Reviews

[Liquidlasagna · Rating 3 out of 5]

a lot better than his other more recent works

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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.
Robert Jervis

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Amazone

Great overview of the Cold War

Great read and guide to the Cold War, what worked and what didn't, including some very surprising details from Soviet and other archives.

mel4444