In the course of writing this book, I became indebted to a great many people.
Several of my colleagues offered excellent comments on the manuscript: Michael Boyle, Richard Caplan, David Danelo, David Edelstein, Christopher Fettweis, Ryan Grauer, Samuel Helfont, Tally Helfont, Ayse Kaya, Lou Klarevas, James Lebovic, Austin Long, Dominic Johnson, Daniel Moran, Michael Noonan, Amy Oakes, Michael Patrick O’Hara, and Andrew Polsky.
I am grateful to the interviewees who gave generously of their time: John Abizaid, John Allen, Stephen Biddle, Zbigniew Brzezinski, George Casey, Ryan Crocker, Ivo Daalder, Toby Dodge, Eric Edelman, Robert Gallucci, Marc Grossman, John Hillen, Thomas Keaney, Graeme Lamb, Stanley McChrystal, John McLaughlin, H. R. McMaster, Mary Alice Mills, Robert Mnookin, Richard Myers, John Nagl, Vali Nasr, Ronald Neumann, Thomas Pickering, George Schultz, James G. Stavridis, Bernard Trainor, Joshua White, and Dov Zakheim.
The political science department at Swarthmore College has been an exceptional environment in which to work. I would like to thank my wonderful colleagues and students. Several students offered helpful comments and research assistance: Gabriella Capone, Sara Fitzpatrick, Caleb Jones, Susana Medeiros, Kathleen Naccarato, Emma Saarel, Fredrick Toohey—and, especially, Lorand Laskai, Sara Morell, Stuart Russell, and Chloe Wittenberg. Swarthmore College also provided funding for a sabbatical leave, which was invaluable in finishing the book.
The Foreign Policy Research Institute helped the book in a number of important ways, including setting up interviews and facilitating valuable conversations. I would especially like to thank: David Danelo, Samuel Helfont, Tally Helfont, Alan Luxenberg, and Michael Noonan.
Part of the book was completed when I was a visiting fellow at the Arnold A. Saltzman Institute of War and Peace Studies at Columbia University, and I would like to thank Richard Betts, Robert Jervis, and Tonya Putnam.
The Academic Exchange program and the Yitzhak Rabin Center in Tel Aviv organized a highly productive trip to Israel, and I am grateful to Nachum Braverman, Charles Kupchan, and Fufi Sedaka.
For help with family history, I am grateful to Dorothy Jones, Sally Shepherd, and Angela Tracy-Smith.
My friend Will Lippincott cemented his status as the best agent in New York and proved a wonderful guide throughout the process. I was fortunate to work with two highly talented editors, Geoff Shandler and Asya Muchnick, who offered superb input and mentorship at every stage of the project. For terrific copyediting, I want to thank Peggy Freudenthal and Janet Byrne.
Most of all, I would like to thank my family: John, Angela, Ben, Sam, Dylan, Christian, Vuokko, Sienna, and Mila.