"Coherent, learned, well written--and a reminder of just how changeable are the passions kindled by nuclear deterrence....[Gaddis is] an intelligent historian, and he combines theoretical reflection with a deep knowledge of the massive American archives....[These essays] constitute a unified history of the Cold War."--
The New York Times Book Review"With his customary insight and care, John Gaddis gives us important and illuminating essays that deepen and alter our understanding of Soviet-American relations."--Robert Jervis, Institute of War and Peace Studies, Columbia University
"A sophisticated addition to the Cold War literature."--
Booklist"Gaddis raises some interesting and timely questions....Provocative and well-argued."--
Library Journal"A fresh slant on the history of the Cold War."--
Cultural Information Service"Gaddis writes superbly well, no mean task when mixing narrative, analysis, personal reflection and advocacy....He asks questions that go to the heart of the matter; he offers subtle, skeptical answers clearly open to continuing debate."--
The Washington Post Book World"Few are more qualified to analyze the "long peace" than John Lewis Gaddis....[He makes] a case for the relative stability of the international order. In so doing, he offers an interpretation as insightful as it is provocative."--
St. Petersburg Times"A distinguished historian of post-1945 international relations presents eight substantial, thoroughly researched essays on the overall theme of the war the United States and the Soviet Union have managed to avoid with each other."--
Foreign Affairs"A collection of well-wrought and insightful essays."--
The New Republic"Together, these essays...form a comprehensive and perceptive statement that scholars and politicians alike ought not to ignore."--
American Studies International"[These essays] are uniformly well-written and stylishly crafted....[Gaddis] is a delight to read....By asking a different set of questions, by identifying new areas to investigate, and by taking virtually nothing as a given, Gaddis has forced all historians to examine and reexamine existing arguments and evidence."--
Diplomatic History"Provides essential historical perspective and keen insight on the troubled era of the Cold War."--Alexander L. George, Stanford University