Presidential Command: Power, Leadership and the Making of Foreign Policy from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush

On May 27, the Brookings Institution hosted former Secretary of State Lawrence S. Eagleburger and former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy Eric S. Edelman for a discussion of the book, Presidential Command: Power, Leadership, and the Making of Foreign Policy from Richard Nixon to George W. Bush (Knopf Publishing Group, January 2009). Written by the late Peter W. Rodman, former assistant secretary of defense and Brookings senior fellow, the book focuses on the challenges recent presidents have faced in managing their top foreign policy advisors and offers insights for the current and future presidents. Among his many presidential appointments, Rodman served on the National Security Councils of Presidents Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush.

Lawrence Eagleburger, a career foreign service officer and diplomat, served as ambassador to Yugoslavia under President Carter and as secretary of state under President George H.W. Bush. Eric Edelman, former Ambassador to both Turkey and Finland, served with Peter Rodman at the Pentagon during the most recent Bush administration. Carlos Pascual, vice president and director of Foreign Policy at Brookings, provided introductory remarks and moderated the discussion. After the program, the featured speakers took audience questions.  
 
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