In 1945 war came to an end. But a whole new terror was only just beginning... In this book, the truth behind every spy thriller you've read: why America and the Soviet Union became locked in a deadly stalemate. It tells the story of crisis talks and subterfuge, tyrants and power struggles - and of ordinary people changing the course of history.

A training manual for our troubled times ... It makes sense of our world, but is also capable of beautifully crafted pithy historical judgements. ... It is a book that cares about liberty, choice and a moral compass, that warns against hubris Roger Boyes, The Times

John Lewis Gaddis, the distinguished historian and acclaimed author of The Cold War, has for almost two decades co-taught the grand strategy seminar at Yale University with his colleagues Charles Hill and Paul Kennedy. Now, in On Grand Strategy, Gaddis reflects with insight and wit on what he has learned.

In chapters extending...