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When Henry Kissinger became President Nixon’s national security adviser, he made sure that communication about foreign policy issues flowed only through him.
Jeffrey Pfeffer • Power: Why Some People Have It—and Others Don't
At the Veterans Health Administration, Ken Kizer, appointed by Bill Clinton in 1994, inherited an antiquated, inefficient health-care system. The VA faced changes in its client population, the competitive healthcare environment, and modalities for delivering care.2 In just five years, Kizer instituted an electronic medical record system, made struc
... See moreJeffrey Pfeffer • Power: Why Some People Have It—and Others Don't
foreign affairs
Diego Segura • 7 cards
is that to a large extent the United States had to carry out its foreign interventions through the medium of mercenary states. There’s a whole network of U.S. mercenary states. Israel is the major one, but it also includes Taiwan, South Africa, South Korea, the states that are involved in the World Anti-Communist League and the various military gro
... See morePeter Mitchell • Understanding Power: The Indispensible Chomsky
“Secret deal”? Perhaps Coke Stevenson felt he wouldn’t dignify the charge by denying it. But dignity was a luxury in a fight with Lyndon Johnson, a luxury too expensive to afford. Perhaps Stevenson had too much pride to deny the charge. Pride was a luxury that an opponent of Lyndon Johnson could not afford. Once Johnson found an issue, true or untr
... See moreRobert A. Caro • Means of Ascent: The Years of Lyndon Johnson II
Mikhail Gorbachev, who led the Soviet Union starting in 1985, played a pivotal role in the end of the Cold War. Gorbachev clearly concluded that the Soviet Union could survive and compete on the world stage only if it changed in fundamental ways at home. But his approach to change, in which political reform came before economic restructuring, mostl
... See moreRichard Haass • The World
On most political issues, Washington saw eye to eye with Knox, who had labored hard for the new Constitution. But Knox was destined to be the least capable of the three department heads. He worked diligently, gave Washington unquestioning loyalty, and promptly responded to requests, but he was not an original policy thinker and was relatively passi
... See moreRon Chernow • Washington
On the morning after Truman’s dramatic announcement, the Sunday newspapers delivered to the delegates’ rooms were filled with speculation about imminent breaks in the Stevenson ranks from New Jersey, Michigan, and Pennsylvania. But by noon that Sunday, the party’s insiders already knew the truth. Counting delegates the evening before, they had foun
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