Michael A. Robinson - Dangerous Instrument: Political Polarization and US Civil-Military Relations

This book is the result of years of effort, brought into being only through the support and generosity of so many from whom I have been fortunate enough to learn. It is in this spirit that I offer the deepest gratitude to those who made this work possible, through their mentorship, instruction, and attention. It should be mentioned first the gratitude I hold for the support of my friends and family, without whom I would not be where I am. From this group, including my childhood friends back home, the love of my life, my close comrades in Army service, and my colleagues in the academic world came immeasurable inspiration and encouragement. Most of all I want to thank my mother, my father, and my brother, for the love and support that they have given me my entire life.

This project would not have happened without the teachers I have had along the way, both in and out of the classroom. For the formative influence they had on this project and my own academic aspirations, I offer special thanks to my Stanford doctoral committee members Mike Tomz, Scott Sagan, Kenneth Schultz, and Amy Zegart. I also wish to thank those who provided much-needed advice at critical points in the projects research design development, including Adam Bonica and Paul Sniderman. The collective patience and expertise of this incredible group of scholars is evident not only in the project that became this book, but in demonstrating to me the qualities of truly great teachers. In this spirit, I also offer the deepest of thanks to my colleagues, my outstanding graduate school cohortmates, and my CMR-ades in the civil-military relations scholarly community whose professional support and critical eye were integral to this project over the years.

Further, I owe a particular debt of thanks to the wonderful mentors in my career, from whose generosity, care, and attention I have benefited immensely. Chief among these are the leaders at the United States Military Academy Department of Social SciencesColonel Suzanne Nielsen, Colonel (ret.) Tania Chacho, Lieutenant Colonel Heidi Demarest, and Dr. Rob Personwho granted me the opportunity to go to graduate school, gave me the honor of teaching in front of cadets, and supported my continued efforts to think and write about the issues of the day, including the development of this book. Their counsel and encouragement speak not only to their character as mentors, but to the amazing culture they have created at SOSH, a true gem amidst both academia and the military enterprise.

To the ranks of these indispensable mentors I add several civil-military relations experts whose support and advice made this book possible. I thank Risa Brooks and Heidi Urben, both peerless scholars and mentors, whose generosity and advice at every step of the process kept this work (and its author) grounded. I also wish to thank Kori Schake, a two-time teacher of mine reaching back to my salad days as a cadet at West Point, who not only advised this project on committee but provided constant encouragement for its success. It would not be hyperbole to state that without them, this book would never have happened.

Finally, I want to thank those whose advocacy helped bring this project into being, including Peter Feaver, whose long-standing encouragement to junior scholars made this book a reality. I also want to thank Bruce Jentleson, Holly Mitchell, David McBride, Alexcee Bechthold, Thomas Deva, and the entire editorial team at Oxford University Press. I am similarly grateful for the constructive feedback and counsel of the anonymous reviewers whose critiques helped make this a better product.

To these individualsand to the many more too countless to nameI offer my thanks, in the hopes that the insights and prescriptions herein prove of value to military leaders, civilian officials, scholars, analysts, and the American citizen.

The views expressed are those of the author and do not reflect the official policy or position of the Department of the Army, the US Military Academy, the Department of State, the Department of Defense or any part of the US government.

the Army is a dangerous instrument to play with

George Washington, a letter a Alexander Hamilton, April 4, 1783