Fixer Scholar Soldier Guide

When Saddam Hussein invaded Kuwait, democracy faced a test: Had we learned the lesson of World War II and the Holocaust? Would we sit idly by while devils armed for genocide, or act quickly and decisively to prevent catastrophe? President George H. W. Bush and his advisers defied all expectations by assembling a massive military coalition to defeat Saddam.

At the nerve center of the administration’s response was a calm, unassuming, and thoughtful national-security adviser, Air Force general Brent Scowcroft. In a comprehensive new biography, University of Texas professor Bartholomew Sparrow shows why Scowcroft is now widely considered the model national-security adviser.