“A powerful critique of, and a sound strategic alternative to, the flawed assumptions and self-defeating prescriptions of George W. Bush’s misguided and mislabeled ‘war on terror.’ ”—Zbigniew Brzezinski, former U.S. national security adviser and author of Second Chance: Three Presidents and the Crisis of American Superpower
“Philip H. Gordon offers wise advice on how to think about the threats and challenges facing the United States in the wake of the Iraq disaster. He puts forward a clear vision of a less militarized foreign policy that actually stands a chance of reducing the numbers of enemies we face, rather than increasing them as we have done in the recent past.”—Francis Fukuyama, author of America at the Crossroads: Democracy, Power, and the Neoconservative Legacy
“Philip H. Gordon has written an absolutely brilliant book, informed by a deep understanding of the successes and failures of U.S. foreign policy since World War II. Winning the Right War is the most clearly argued critique yet of the Bush administration’s flawed approach to defeating jihadist terrorism. It shows how the United States can contain – and ultimately defeat – the terrorists who would destroy us.”—Peter Bergen, author of The Osama bin Laden I Know and Holy War, Inc.
“After four years of war in Iraq, the resurgence of Al Qaeda, and a steadily diminishing influence in the world, the United States needs a strategy for recovery. This book provides it. Philip H. Gordon’s prescription is prudent, deeply informed, and workable. The next administration would be wise to take this strategy as a starting point for the way forward.”—Steven Simon, senior fellow, Council on Foreign Relations, and coauthor of The Age of Sacred Terror and The Next Attack
“ ‘Either you’re with us or you’re with the terrorists.’ This was President Bush’s challenge to the rest of the world in the immediate aftermath of 9/11. Over the succeeding six years his administration’s conduct of the ‘global war on terror’ has managed to push hundreds of millions of Muslims onto the wrong side of that divide. Drawing upon America’s successful conduct of the Cold War, Philip H. Gordon suggests how this competition must be radically recast if the extremists are to be marginalized and the terrorists rejected by their own societies.”—James Dobbins, director of the International Security and Defense Policy Center at RAND, and former U.S. special envoy to Afghanistan
