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Jeane J. Kirkpatrick Senior Fellow for National Security Studies
Contact Info:
Phone: +1.212.434.9619
E-mail: mboot@cfr.org
Location:
New York, NY
Media downloads:
High-resolution photo (JPG, 2.8 MB)
One-page bio (PDF, 64K)
Award-winning author and former editorial editor for The Wall Street Journal. Author of War Made New:Technology, Warfare, and the Course of History, 1500 to Today. Currently writing a history of guerrilla warfare.
Expertise:Defense policy; defense budget; proliferation; nation-building and peacekeeping; democracy and human rights; U.S. grand strategy; national security; military technology; military history; U.S. foreign policy; terrorism and guerilla warfare; terrorism; media.
Experience:Contributing editor, Weekly Standard (current); Editorial Features Editor, Wall Street Journal (1997-2002); writer and editor, Wall Street Journal (1994-97); writer and editor, Christian Science Monitor (1992-94).
Honors:Eric Breindel Award for Excellence in Journalism (2007); named one of “the 500 most influential people in the United States in the field of foreign policy,” World Affairs Councils of America (2004); Wallace M. Greene Award for best nonfiction book on the Marine Corps (2003); Savage Wars of Peace selected as one of the best books by the Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, and Christian Science Monitor (2002); two-time finalist, Gerald A. Loeb Award for Business Journalism.
Selected Publications:War Made New: Technology, Warfare, and the Course of History, 1500 to Today (Gotham Books, 2006); The Savage Wars of Peace: Small Wars and the Rise of American Power (Basic Books, 2002); Out of Order: Arrogance, Corruption and Incompetence on the Bench (Basic Books, 1998); contributes regularly to the New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Financial Times, Times, Weekly Standard, and other publications.
"America should be the world's policeman," Intelligence Squared US debate (transcript available; February 12, 2008)
Related Links:
"Military Thinkers Answer Listeners' Questions" (Interview, NPR.org, November 10, 2009)
Max Boot on CommentaryMagazine.com (blog)
Current Research Projects
November 16, 2009
Op-Ed
Weekly Standard
"Despite the headlines about bombings in Baghdad, the situation has improved immeasurably," writes Max Boot, referring to the better security in Iraq on his most recent trip. Nevertheless, he cautions that, "there is no room to be complacent," as there is much work yet to be done.
See more in Iraq, Conflict Assessment, U.S. Strategy and Politics
November 10, 2009
Op-Ed
Los Angeles Times
Although corruption, drug-trafficking and other civil issues are important priorities, President Hamid Karzai of Afghanistan needs to become more engaged with the war raging around him, writes Max Boot.
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare, International Peace and Security
November 2, 2009
Op-Ed
Commentary
Max Boot argues that success in Afghanistan depends on a cohesive counterinsurgency--rather than a counterterrorism--strategy.
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare, Conflict Assessment, Terrorism
November 2, 2009
Transcript
Max Boot, CFR senior fellow for national security studies, discusses U.S. strategy in Afghanistan online with Politico readers.
See more in United States, Afghanistan, Defense/Homeland Security, Defense Strategy, Elections
November 2, 2009
Article
Weekly Standard
Max Boot says the war effort is succeeding in parts of Afghanistan - with time and troops the gains can be consolidated.
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare
October 30, 2009
Audio
CFR's Daniel Markey and Max Boot call for a sustained U.S. commitment to stabilizing shaky governments in Afghanistan and Pakistan.
See more in Afghanistan, Pakistan, U.S. Strategy and Politics
October 30, 2009
Transcript
Following a visit to the AfPak region, CFR Senior Fellows Max Boot and Daniel Markey discuss the prospects for Afghanistan's stability and give their recommendations for U.S. foreign policy in South Asia.
See more in Afghanistan, Pakistan, U.S. Strategy and Politics
October 22, 2009
Op-Ed
New York Times
Max Boot writes that "only by sending more personnel, military and civilian, can President Obama improve the Afghan government's performance, reverse the Taliban's gains and prevent Al Qaeda's allies from regaining the ground they lost after 9/11."
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare
October 19, 2009
Op-Ed
Weekly Standard
"We would all be well advised to handle Vietnam analogies with great care," writes Max Boot arguing against comparing the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to the Vietnam War.
See more in Afghanistan, Iraq, Wars and Warfare, Conflict Assessment
September 28, 2009
Op-Ed
Los Angeles Times
Max Boot discusses the implications of President Obama's troop strategy in Afghanistan
See more in Wars and Warfare, Conflict Assessment, Havens for Terrorism
September 3, 2009
Op-Ed
Wall Street Journal
Max Boot argues that the war is necessary and winnable in Afghanistan.
See more in United States, Afghanistan, Defense/Homeland Security, Wars and Warfare
Volume 014, Issue 43
Op-Ed
Weekly Standard
Max Boot discusses detention policy in Afghanistan.
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare, U.S. Strategy and Politics
July/August 2009
Foreign Affairs Article — Summary
To defeat piracy in centuries past, governments pursued a more active defense at sea and a political solution on land. The current piracy epidemic off the coast of East Africa requires many of the same tactics.
See more in Border and Ports
June 17, 2009
Op-Ed
Wall Street Journal
Max Boot writes in favor of Gen. McChrystal's decision to set up a Pakistan Afghanistan Coordination Cell.
See more in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Wars and Warfare, Society and Culture
June 5, 2009
Article
New York Times
Max Boot reviews Masters and Commanders, by Andrew Roberts.
See more in Europe/Russia, Wars and Warfare
May 22, 2009
Op-Ed
National Review
Max Boot argues, "on the whole, President Obama is formulating sensible, centrist national-security policies."
See more in Defense/Homeland Security, Human Rights, Counterterrorism, U.S. Strategy and Politics
May 13, 2009
Op-Ed
Los Angeles Times
Max Boot argues that "President Obama and his aides continue to impress with their handling of Afghanistan."
See more in Afghanistan, Wars and Warfare, U.S. Strategy and Politics
May 6, 2009
Article
Foreign Affairs
Max Boot provides an annotated Foreign Affairs syllabus on pirates.
April 29, 2009
Op-Ed
Commentary
Max Boot discusses President Obama's first 100 days.
See more in U.S. Strategy and Politics, Presidency
May - June 2009
Op-Ed
American Interest
Max Boot discusses the stigmatization--and necessity--of mercenaries.
See more in National Security and Defense, Wars and Warfare
Explore the international finance regime with a new interactive from CFR's program on International Institutions and Global Governance.
Identifying international threats and acting on them may be the most difficult job for U.S. policymakers. This report
provides an actionable road map for managing international threats before they erupt into crises and makes a strong case that preventive action is not a luxury but a necessity.
For more than a decade, the United States has mostly watched from the sidelines as Asian countries organize themselves into an alphabet soup of new multilateral groups. In this report, the authors review the relationship between pan-Asian and trans-Pacific institutions and suggest policy guidelines for a new U.S. approach to this new Asian landscape.
Complete list of Council Special Reports
Start-Up Nation addresses the trillion-dollar question: How is it that Israel—a country of 7.1 million, only sixty years old, surrounded by enemies— produces more start-up companies than large, peaceful, and stable nations like Japan, China, India, Korea, Canada, and the UK? With the insights of geopolitical experts and investors, the authors examine this nation’s adversity-driven culture to answer this question and offer prescriptions for a global economy on the rebound.
In Forces of Fortune, Vali Nasr presents a paradigm-changing revelation that will transform the understanding of the Muslim world at large. He reveals that there is a vital but unseen rising force in the Islamic world—a new business-minded middle class—that is building a vibrant new Muslim world economy and that holds the key to winning the cold war against Iran and extremists.
In Cuba: What Everyone Needs to Know, Julia E. Sweig presents a remarkably accessible portrait of Cuba's unique place on the world stage over the past fifty years, including its internal politics, its often fraught relationship with the United States, and its shifting relationship with the global community.
Complete list of CFR Books
For more information on the David Rockefeller Studies Program, contact:
James M. Lindsay
Senior Vice President, Director of Studies, and Maurice R. Greenberg Chair
+1.212.434.9626 (NY); +1.202.509.8405 (DC)
jlindsay@cfr.org
Janine Hill
Deputy Director of Studies Administration
+1.212.434.9753
jhill@cfr.org
Copyright 2009 by the Council on Foreign Relations. All Rights Reserved.
