The Strategy of Campaigning explores the political careers of Ronald Reagan and Boris Yeltsin, two of the most galvanizing and often controversial political figures of our time. Both men overcame defeat early in their political careers and rose to the highest elected offices in their respective countries. The authors demonstrate how and why Reagan and Yeltsin succeeded in their political aspirations, despite—or perhaps because of—their apparent "policy extremism": that is, their advocacy of policy positions far from the mainstream. The book analyzes the viability of policy extremism as a political strategy that enables candidates to forge new coalitions and outflank conventional political allegiances. Kiron K. Skinner is Associate Professor of International Relations and Political Science at Carnegie Mellon University, a Research Fellow at the Hoover Institution, and a member of the Chief of Naval Operations Executive Panel and the National Security Education Board. Serhiy Kudelia is Lecturer of Politics at Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Ukraine and advisor to Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine. Bruce Bueno de Mesquita is Julius Silver Professor and Director of the Alexander Hamilton Center for Political Economy at New York University and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Condoleezza Rice is on a leave of absence from Stanford University, where she was a Professor of Political Science and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution. She is currently serving as U.S. Secretary of State. "I know of no other study which has so brilliantly examined campaign strategies of such importance across cultural divides. This book should be required reading for everyone who wants to understand modern political strategies in historic context."
—Newt Gingrich, Former Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives "The lessons of how Reagan and Yeltsin transformed the world are so profound that they go beyond international affairs. Every leader—in business, innovation, politics, and life—should understand them. The campaigns of Reagan and Yeltsin were based on redefining the competition and the issues. This book, using new archival research, will fascinate not only historians but anyone interested in the lessons of leadership."
—Walter Isaacson, President of the Aspen Institute and author of Einstein: His Life and Universe "The Strategy of Campaigning is fascinating and important. As personalities, Ronald Reagan and Boris Yeltsin could hardly be more different; the political systems they transformed were also at opposite ends of the political spectrum. Nevertheless, the story of how each went about changing his political environment provides important insights into today's much altered political world."
—Jack F. Matlock, Jr., U.S. Ambassador to the USSR, 1987-91 Read a transcript of a live chat Kiron Skinner had on Talk 2 America Listen to an interview with Kiron Skinner and Serhiy Kudelia on Bill Thompson's Eye on Books |
