Supreme Command, Eliot A. Cohen
Supreme Command, Eliot A. Cohen
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Supreme Command
Soldiers, Statesmen, and Leadership in Wartime

Author: Eliot A. Cohen

Narrator: Simon Vance

Unabridged: 10 hr 47 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Published: 03/01/2003

Synopsis

The relationship between military leaders and political leaders has always been a complicated one, especially in times of war. When the chips are down, who should run the show, the politicians or the generals?In Supreme Command, Eliot Cohen examines four great democratic war statesmen, Abraham Lincoln, Georges Clemenceau, Winston Churchill, and David Ben-Gurion, to reveal the surprising answer—the politicians. The generals may think they know how to win, but the statesmen are the ones who see the big picture.The lessons of the book apply not just to President Bush and other world leaders but to anyone who faces extreme adversity at the head of a free organization, including leaders and managers throughout the corporate world.

About Eliot A. Cohen

Eliot A. Cohen is professor of strategic studies at the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies of the Johns Hopkins University. He previously served on the policy planning staff of the Office of the Secretary of Defense and as an intelligence officer in the US Army Reserve, and he taught at the US Naval War College and at Harvard University. He has written books and articles on a variety of military and national security–related subjects. He served as counselor of the Department of State from 2007 to 2009. He lives in Washington, DC.

About Simon Vance

Simon Vance is the critically acclaimed narrator of approximately 400 audiobooks, winner of 27 AudioFile Earphones Awards, and a 12-time Audie Award-winner. He won an Audie in 2006 in the category of Science Fiction and was named the 2011 Best Voice in Biography and History and in 2010 Best Voice in Fiction by AudioFile magazine.   Vance has been a narrator for the past 25 years, and also worked for many years as a BBC Radio presenter and newsreader in London.  Some of his best-selling and most praised audiobook performances include Stieg Larsson’s The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Hilary Mantel’s Bring Up the Bodies (an Audie award-winner), Ian Fleming’s Casino Royale, Oscar Wilde’s The Picture of Dorian Gray, Patrick O’Brian’s Master and Commander series (all 21 titles), the new productions of Frank Herbert’s original Dune series, and Rob Gifford’s China Road (an AudioFile 2007 Book of the Year). Vance lives near San Francisco with his wife and two sons.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Joseph on April 19, 2022

A solid study and a key critique of Samuel Huntington's theory of objective control in civil-military relations. SH argued that the civilian authorities should have control over the actions of the military but try to leave most military matters up to the military itself. SH really admired the milita......more

Goodreads review by Art on March 16, 2008

Eliot Cohen has an impressive background in policy work (OSD) and academia (Naval War College and Harvard). I had high hopes for this book because I thought his experience with the military combined with his academic work would produce a focused and well-grounded work. I was disappointed. I never re......more

Goodreads review by Nick on July 14, 2020

Excellent book that straddles history and civ-mil relations. Only 240 pages and easy to read. Cohen draws upon history, the discussion of strategy (a theory of victory), and previous entries into civ-mil literature. Cohen makes a strong argument for the role of an engaged civilian head of state part......more

Goodreads review by Ian on January 30, 2020

I enjoyed the history lesson and agree with the author’s opinion that political leaders must be closely tied in with their military leadership to gain better strategic results. At it’s heart, this book displays the value of invested leadership. Know your place as leader/manager and understand your s......more

Goodreads review by Jon-Erik on April 19, 2017

There are methodological problems with what rules can be drawn from extraordinary cases. And perhaps more analysis of what the subordinates did or didn't do would be more informative. It's also almost impossible to take this book out of its own unique context and wonder if it wasn't too motivated by......more

Quotes

“Cohen argues…that great victories are more often achieved precisely when national leaders involve themselves in the pursuit of policy. This is a great read, and more importantly, it carries a significant message.” Paul Kennedy, New York Times bestselling author

“This is the most important book in a long time on military affairs. It is likely to become the standard volume on the subject of top command. It also promises to change the way we all look at how wars should be managed by presidents and other civilian leaders. Military officers especially may be shocked by Cohen’s conclusion that the best civilian leaders are those who meddle and ask tough questions of their military subordinates. But even those who disagree with him will come away informed by the argument.” Thomas E. Ricks, New York Times bestselling author

“This fascinating study of iron-willed men is superbly read by [Simon Vance]. His clear and confident voice reads the narrative nearly flawlessly.” AudioFile

“This well-documented book will be accessible to lay readers as well as scholars.” Library Journal

“[Vance] offers a professional and smooth reading of this book. His voice is even and clear, and his timing is impeccable.” Kliatt

“Timely and provocative reading in an era of drumbeating.” Kirkus Reviews

“A fascinating study of the intersection of war and politics. Cohen’s exploration of the conundrum of wartime leadership—Who should run things: president or general?—is both brilliant and unconventional. A timely book, very readable and original.” Charles Krauthammer, syndicated columnist

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