‘The Triumph of Improvisation’, by James Graham Wilson

Gorbachev’s Adaptability, Reagan’s Engagement, and the End of the Cold War’.

If John Kerry ever gets to spend a day back home, the US secretary of state might wish to meet James Graham Wilson, a young scholar in his department’s Office of the Historian.

Wilson’s recent book, The Triumph of Improvisation, offers a fresh and valuable look at the end of the cold war. Good histories do not offer policy recipes, but they can suggest ideas for policy makers. 

Read more on FT.com: A fresh look at the last years of the cold war offers lessons for today’s policy makers.