{"product_id":"the-triumph-of-improvisation-gorbachevs-adaptability-reagans-engagement-and-the-end-of-the-cold-war-9780801456831","title":"The Triumph of Improvisation: Gorbachev's Adaptability, Reagan's Engagement, and the End of the Cold War","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eIn \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Triumph of Improvisation\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e, James Graham Wilson takes a long view of the end of the Cold War, from the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in December 1979 to Operation Desert Storm in January 1991.\u003c\/b\u003e Drawing on deep archival research and recently declassified papers, Wilson argues that adaptation, improvisation, and engagement by individuals in positions of power ended the specter of a nuclear holocaust. Amid ambivalence and uncertainty, Mikhail Gorbachev, Ronald Reagan, George Shultz, and George H. W. Bush--and a host of other actors--engaged with adversaries and adapted to a rapidly changing international environment and information age in which global capitalism recovered as command economies failed. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eEschewing the notion of a coherent grand strategy to end the Cold War, Wilson paints a vivid portrait of how leaders made choices; some made poor choices while others reacted prudently, imaginatively, and courageously to events they did not foresee. A book about the burdens of responsibility, the obstacles of domestic politics, and the human qualities of leadership, \u003ci\u003eThe Triumph of Improvisation\u003c\/i\u003e concludes with a chapter describing how George H. W. Bush oversaw the construction of a new configuration of power after the fall of the Berlin Wall, one that resolved the fundamental components of the Cold War on Washington's terms.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e James Graham Wilson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e Cornell University Press\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 01\/15\/2015\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 280\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBinding Type:\u003c\/b\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 0.90lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 10.30h x 4.80w x 0.60d\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780801456831\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJames Graham Wilson is a Historian at the U.S. Department of State.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Cornell University Press","offers":[{"title":"Paperback","offer_id":42935358619763,"sku":"9.7808E+12","price":20.95,"currency_code":"EUR","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0555\/9255\/0515\/files\/img_1661fd9f-543a-47b4-9c4b-00827846e22e.jpg?v=1742908479","url":"https:\/\/bookstorenmore.com\/en-de\/products\/the-triumph-of-improvisation-gorbachevs-adaptability-reagans-engagement-and-the-end-of-the-cold-war-9780801456831","provider":"Bookstore N More","version":"1.0","type":"link"}