To Dare Mighty Things

Books to read in January 2026, Le Grand Continent“To Dare Mighty Things is essential reading for all Americans seeking to ‘know themselves’ as a global military power, and for international players seeking to understand us. In clear, elegant prose, O’Hanlon traces America’s security journey from its founding to superpower status, shedding greater light on both the nation’s successes and its failures to use its power wisely.”—Robert Kagan, author of The Ghost at the Feast, The World America Made, and Dangerous Nation“This excellent book clarifying the often complex ways America has fought its wars and maintained the peace is a must-read, filled with valuable insights for anyone serious about understanding U.S. defense strategy and its relationship to broader U.S. grand strategy throughout our history and today.”—Lt. Colonel Amy McGrath, USMC (ret.)“A truly masterful overview of America’s Grand Strategies and Defense Strategies over the history of our Republic. Brookings’ Scholar Dr. Mike O’Hanlon vividly describes America’s ways of war (and peace) over the centuries, recounting determined counterpunching in the American Revolution, the conduct of slugfests in the Civil War and the two world wars, the employment of overwhelming force in Operation Desert Storm and of precision airpower in Kosovo, and the demonstration of joint-force brilliance in the overthrows of the Taliban and Saddam Hussein regimes (though not in all that followed), as well as the conduct of impressive civil-military counterinsurgency campaigns during the Surge in Iraq and the height of the war in Afghanistan, both of which I was privileged to command and that demonstrated how America’s men and women can be true ‘decathletes’ on the battlefield when needed.”—General David Petraeus, US Army (Ret.), former director of the CIA, and coauthor of Conflict: The Evolution of Warfare from 1945 to Gaza“This page-turning, myth-busting analysis of America’s often very assertive defense strategies since the Revolution is essential reading for anyone seeking to understand the application of U.S. military power in the twenty-first century.”—Caitlin Talmadge, author of The Dictator’s Army: Battlefield Effectiveness in Authoritarian Regimes

Michael O’Hanlon holds the Philip H. Knight Chair in Defense and Strategy at the Brookings Institution. He is the author of many books, including The Art of War in an Age of Peace: U.S. Grand Strategy and Resolute Restraint. He teaches at Columbia and Georgetown Universities and lives in Bethesda, MD.