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Running the World the Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power
Never before in the history of mankind have so few people had so much power over so many. The people at the top of the American national security establishment, the President and his principal advisors, the core team at the helm of the National Security Council, are without question the most powerful committee in the history of the world. Yet, in many respects, they are among the least understood.A former senior official in the Clinton Administration himself, David Rothkopf served with and knows personally many of the NSC's key players of the past twenty-five years. In Running the World he pulls back the curtain on this shadowy world to explore its inner workings, its people, their relationships, their contributions and the occasions when they have gone wrong. He traces the group's evolution from the final days of the Second World War to the post-Cold War realities of global terror -- exploring its triumphs, its human dramas and most recently, what many consider to be its breakdown at a time when we needed it most.Drawing on an extraordinary series of insider interviews with policy makers including Condoleezza Rice, Colin Powell, Henry Kissinger, senior officials of the Bush Administration, and over 130 others, the book offers unprecedented insights into what must change if America is to maintain its unprecedented worldwide leadership in the decades ahead.
577 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 31, 2005
57 people are currently reading
647 people want to read
About the author
David Rothkopf
19 books122 followersDavid Rothkopf is the internationally acclaimed author of Superclass: The Global Power Elite and the World They are Making (Farrar, Straus and Giroux, March 2008), now available in over two dozen editions worldwide, and Running the World: The Inside Story of the National Security Council and the Architects of American Power (PublicAffairs, 2005), hailed by The New York Times as "the definitive history of the National Security Council." His next book, on the tug of war between public and private power worldwide and its consequences, is due out from Farrar Straus & Giroux late this year.
Rothkopf is President and CEO of Garten Rothkopf, an international advisory firm specializing in transformational trends especially those associated with energy choice and climate change, emerging markets and global risk. He is a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where he chairs the Carnegie Economic Strategy Roundtable. He was formerly chief executive of Intellibridge Corporation, managing director of Kissinger Associates and U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Policy.
Rothkopf has also taught international affairs and national security studies at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, has lectured widely and is the author of over 150 articles for leading publications worldwide.
Rothkopf is President and CEO of Garten Rothkopf, an international advisory firm specializing in transformational trends especially those associated with energy choice and climate change, emerging markets and global risk. He is a visiting scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace where he chairs the Carnegie Economic Strategy Roundtable. He was formerly chief executive of Intellibridge Corporation, managing director of Kissinger Associates and U.S. Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade Policy.
Rothkopf has also taught international affairs and national security studies at Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and Georgetown's School of Foreign Service, has lectured widely and is the author of over 150 articles for leading publications worldwide.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
July 9, 2025
I read Running the World by David Rothkopf during a summer sabbatical, last year, when the pace of life slowed just enough for me to sit with complex systems—like American foreign policy—and really follow the gears turning.
The book, published in 2005, already felt somewhat time-anchored, a document of the post-9/11 world with its anxieties and ambitions laid bare. But it also read like a master key—something that unlocked not just the decisions of a few presidencies, but the entire architecture of how power is actually wielded behind the glossy podiums and strategic press leaks. It was a book that didn’t ask who was in power, but how power itself flows—stealthy, centralized, and, more often than not, unelected.
Rothkopf’s work is exhaustive and painstakingly detailed, but never dry. The story he tells isn’t about democracy as we imagine it, but about a hidden cockpit deep inside the Executive Branch—the National Security Council (NSC)—where a rotating cast of advisers, fixers, ideologues, generals, and technocrats shape U.S. foreign policy with an intimacy and impunity that makes Congress feel almost ornamental.
Created in 1947 in the aftermath of World War II and at the dawn of the Cold War, the NSC was originally intended to be a kind of think-tank-meets-advisory-board. But what began as Truman’s modest idea for coordination has since metastasized into something far more potent: a shadow foreign ministry with unprecedented access to presidential decision-making. Over the decades, and especially during moments of geopolitical crisis, the NSC has been the de facto war room for American imperial will.
The core argument Rothkopf makes is simple, even if the implications are enormous: American foreign policy isn’t really made by sprawling bureaucracies or democratic deliberation. It’s made by small, tight-knit teams—“architects” of American power—who operate in rooms the public rarely sees. These men and women are often brilliant, sometimes ruthless, and frequently at odds with each other. But what binds them is their proximity to the president and their ability to act quickly—sometimes bypassing traditional checks, balances, and even morality.
The book profiles some of the most influential figures in postwar U.S. diplomacy: Kissinger, the master manipulator; Brzezinski, cerebral and ruthless; Scowcroft, the cold stabilizer; Condoleezza Rice, navigating Bush-era hawkishness; and Colin Powell, the forever conflicted soldier-statesman. What Rothkopf reveals is not just their personalities, but the political ecosystems they created and thrived within. Foreign policy, it turns out, is rarely a matter of ideology alone. It's also about office politics, ego, timing, and bureaucratic maneuvering.
There’s something chilling in the way Running the World reveals how wars have been decided in closed-door meetings, how intelligence has been shaped to fit narratives, how alliances have been struck not on principle, but on expedience. Rothkopf doesn’t sensationalize it—he doesn’t need to. The facts speak loudly enough. We see the NSC’s expanding role in everything from the Cuban Missile Crisis to Vietnam, from Reagan’s Central America policies to Clinton’s Balkans interventions, all the way to the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld trinity that marched the U.S. into Iraq.
What stayed with me, reading it in a time of supposed global reflection, was the sheer insulation of decision-making in Washington’s upper echelons. The NSC is portrayed as a place where smart people talk to other smart people, often without ever consulting the public, the press, or even other parts of government. And that, Rothkopf argues, is both its genius and its peril. The same agility that allows the NSC to respond to crises quickly also allows it to make devastating miscalculations—unchecked, unchallenged, and sometimes, unrepentant.
Of course, there are criticisms to be made. The book is deeply U.S.-centric—by necessity, perhaps, but sometimes frustratingly so. Rothkopf assumes a fairly intimate knowledge of American political history, and at times, the internal debates between NSC and State, or NSC and CIA, feel like an exclusive club you’re only half-allowed into. Some reviewers have noted he can be too sympathetic to the very elites he profiles, too fascinated by the machinery to fully condemn its outcomes. But to his credit, Rothkopf doesn’t hide these tensions—he lets the reader sit with them.
Reading Running the World reminded me that power is not just about what decisions get made—it’s about who gets to make them.
It’s about how institutions evolve to answer needs that the public isn’t even aware of. It’s about what happens when the world’s most powerful nation treats diplomacy as a high-speed chess game played by a dozen minds—and how sometimes, the rest of us are left to sweep up the board.
It may be dated in some of its examples, yes. But Running the World remains astonishingly relevant, especially in an age where executive power continues to balloon, and crises feel permanent. Rothkopf doesn’t offer comfort—but he offers clarity. And sometimes, clarity is the most subversive form of power there is.
The book, published in 2005, already felt somewhat time-anchored, a document of the post-9/11 world with its anxieties and ambitions laid bare. But it also read like a master key—something that unlocked not just the decisions of a few presidencies, but the entire architecture of how power is actually wielded behind the glossy podiums and strategic press leaks. It was a book that didn’t ask who was in power, but how power itself flows—stealthy, centralized, and, more often than not, unelected.
Rothkopf’s work is exhaustive and painstakingly detailed, but never dry. The story he tells isn’t about democracy as we imagine it, but about a hidden cockpit deep inside the Executive Branch—the National Security Council (NSC)—where a rotating cast of advisers, fixers, ideologues, generals, and technocrats shape U.S. foreign policy with an intimacy and impunity that makes Congress feel almost ornamental.
Created in 1947 in the aftermath of World War II and at the dawn of the Cold War, the NSC was originally intended to be a kind of think-tank-meets-advisory-board. But what began as Truman’s modest idea for coordination has since metastasized into something far more potent: a shadow foreign ministry with unprecedented access to presidential decision-making. Over the decades, and especially during moments of geopolitical crisis, the NSC has been the de facto war room for American imperial will.
The core argument Rothkopf makes is simple, even if the implications are enormous: American foreign policy isn’t really made by sprawling bureaucracies or democratic deliberation. It’s made by small, tight-knit teams—“architects” of American power—who operate in rooms the public rarely sees. These men and women are often brilliant, sometimes ruthless, and frequently at odds with each other. But what binds them is their proximity to the president and their ability to act quickly—sometimes bypassing traditional checks, balances, and even morality.
The book profiles some of the most influential figures in postwar U.S. diplomacy: Kissinger, the master manipulator; Brzezinski, cerebral and ruthless; Scowcroft, the cold stabilizer; Condoleezza Rice, navigating Bush-era hawkishness; and Colin Powell, the forever conflicted soldier-statesman. What Rothkopf reveals is not just their personalities, but the political ecosystems they created and thrived within. Foreign policy, it turns out, is rarely a matter of ideology alone. It's also about office politics, ego, timing, and bureaucratic maneuvering.
There’s something chilling in the way Running the World reveals how wars have been decided in closed-door meetings, how intelligence has been shaped to fit narratives, how alliances have been struck not on principle, but on expedience. Rothkopf doesn’t sensationalize it—he doesn’t need to. The facts speak loudly enough. We see the NSC’s expanding role in everything from the Cuban Missile Crisis to Vietnam, from Reagan’s Central America policies to Clinton’s Balkans interventions, all the way to the Bush-Cheney-Rumsfeld trinity that marched the U.S. into Iraq.
What stayed with me, reading it in a time of supposed global reflection, was the sheer insulation of decision-making in Washington’s upper echelons. The NSC is portrayed as a place where smart people talk to other smart people, often without ever consulting the public, the press, or even other parts of government. And that, Rothkopf argues, is both its genius and its peril. The same agility that allows the NSC to respond to crises quickly also allows it to make devastating miscalculations—unchecked, unchallenged, and sometimes, unrepentant.
Of course, there are criticisms to be made. The book is deeply U.S.-centric—by necessity, perhaps, but sometimes frustratingly so. Rothkopf assumes a fairly intimate knowledge of American political history, and at times, the internal debates between NSC and State, or NSC and CIA, feel like an exclusive club you’re only half-allowed into. Some reviewers have noted he can be too sympathetic to the very elites he profiles, too fascinated by the machinery to fully condemn its outcomes. But to his credit, Rothkopf doesn’t hide these tensions—he lets the reader sit with them.
Reading Running the World reminded me that power is not just about what decisions get made—it’s about who gets to make them.
It’s about how institutions evolve to answer needs that the public isn’t even aware of. It’s about what happens when the world’s most powerful nation treats diplomacy as a high-speed chess game played by a dozen minds—and how sometimes, the rest of us are left to sweep up the board.
It may be dated in some of its examples, yes. But Running the World remains astonishingly relevant, especially in an age where executive power continues to balloon, and crises feel permanent. Rothkopf doesn’t offer comfort—but he offers clarity. And sometimes, clarity is the most subversive form of power there is.
March 24, 2020
A brilliant, thoroughly-researched account of the inner workings of the NSC. Through his research and interviews, Rothkopf pulls back the curtain on the NSC and shows how the organization established in 1947 grew to shape American national security policy in profound ways. He also emphasizes how the individuals who served on the council shaped its decisions, through their personalities and predilections, their interactions with each other, and their positions in the White House's unofficial hierarchy (aka, how close they were to the President). It's an attention-holding account of how a relatively small group of individuals can have a significant impact on global affairs.
February 8, 2010
Despite the (for me) relatively low rating I gave it, I enjoyed this book. If you have a low to moderate-level interest in the subject matter, you can learn a lot from reading Running the World .
I particularly like how the author strives very hard to avoid naked partisanship. As he summarizes the NSC from one administration to the next, he largely avoids editorializing or unfounded opinions. The author worked in the Clinton administration, but his only strong bias, or perhaps simply admiration, as expressed in the book is a great liking of the mechanism and process followed by the first Bush administration in national security affairs.
One of my issues with the book is that it is part analysis, part history, and they don't blend completely successfully in this instance. Also, every few chapters there is a brief explanation of the author's first-hand experience with a person, process or event that doesn't seem to me to blend particularly well with the rest of the material.
My favorite chapter in the book was actually the last, which talks about the present state of affairs in national security and makes some arguments for what may come next. In hindsight, a book that covers this chapter may have been more what I was looking for when I picked this one up.
I particularly like how the author strives very hard to avoid naked partisanship. As he summarizes the NSC from one administration to the next, he largely avoids editorializing or unfounded opinions. The author worked in the Clinton administration, but his only strong bias, or perhaps simply admiration, as expressed in the book is a great liking of the mechanism and process followed by the first Bush administration in national security affairs.
One of my issues with the book is that it is part analysis, part history, and they don't blend completely successfully in this instance. Also, every few chapters there is a brief explanation of the author's first-hand experience with a person, process or event that doesn't seem to me to blend particularly well with the rest of the material.
My favorite chapter in the book was actually the last, which talks about the present state of affairs in national security and makes some arguments for what may come next. In hindsight, a book that covers this chapter may have been more what I was looking for when I picked this one up.
August 12, 2018
Fascinating study of the history and operations of the NSC. Provides great insight into how different Administrations ran and conducted foreign policy. Raised my opinion of some, lowered it for others. Good read.
March 20, 2020
I was assigned about a third of this book for a class and then read the rest for pleasure. It's outstanding, a very clear and readable account of how things really work in the National Security Council. Even those without a very firm grasp on civics will understand and appreciate this book.
November 5, 2018
A really interesting book on the NSC and how it works. This book supports a truism about government, sometimes the least well known entities are the most powerful and influential entities not just nationally but around the world. A great history lesson.
January 13, 2015
This is an excellent book on history of the NSC and what makes NSCs and NSAs work and effective as well as what factors lead to dysfunctional NSCs and ineffective NSAs. A great read for those interested in this important but often overlooked part of the US government national security system.
The main flaws in the book are the first and last chapters which can be skipped without missing anything (the author went on a trip to India with his Dad in 1989). The author also makes clear in a few places his political biases but overall it's a fairly evenhanded history of the NSC since its creation.
The main flaws in the book are the first and last chapters which can be skipped without missing anything (the author went on a trip to India with his Dad in 1989). The author also makes clear in a few places his political biases but overall it's a fairly evenhanded history of the NSC since its creation.
March 24, 2015
A better rating would be 4 1/2 stars. It's a detailed and fascinating insight into the decision making in US politics. It primarily focuses on the National Security Council since it's foundation in 1947 through to the 2nd Bush administration. The focus being on the small group who really have influence on the President,which is not necessarily a formal group.
I quite enjoyed the insight into Bush 41's administration and to Carter's administration.
It's a very detailed read , but of interest to those wanting more insight into the political machinations surrounding the major decisions around security since Truman's administration
I quite enjoyed the insight into Bush 41's administration and to Carter's administration.
It's a very detailed read , but of interest to those wanting more insight into the political machinations surrounding the major decisions around security since Truman's administration
October 28, 2008
This book is huge, but flowed very well and stayed interesting throughout. It gave good insight into what was going on behind the scenes as decisions were made by presidents from Truman through the first administration of the second Bush. The author was involved in the Clinton administration and through these ties was able to interview a large amount of people who have been very influential in past administrations.
March 14, 2015
This is a fascinating book on the history of the National Security Council. The development of bureaucratic processes is probably tinder-dry reading for most people but for those with a deep interest in how government actually works this book is just fun. Rothkopf provides a great balance of detail and analysis. He clearly resides in this world, as he is eager to remind the reader, and there are numerous little personal notes that add color to historical figures.
January 2, 2017
Great summary of major U.S. foreign policy events since 1945, combined with fun (for me, at least) inside baseball stories on how the NSC process functioned during those episodes (including some interesting notes on its relationship with the NEC since 1993). Last chapter on general takeaways/recommendations can probably be skipped as it is now somewhat obsolete.
January 1, 2020
Rothkopf provided a well-researched history of the NSC from its establishment to the Bush 43 Administration. He drew from interviews with people that were at the center of it all as well as his limited experience along the periphery. This book provided a great recap of the foreign policy issues each administration faced and how individuals and their interactions shaped US response.
January 31, 2008
Awesome history of the NSC as it developed by administration. Pretty hysterical to see how awesome Eisenhower's national security team compared to the bumbling idiots of the Clinton administration. Some good stories relayed by interviewees.
December 7, 2014
Must read for any keen and astute observer of the country's national security apparatus. Superb detail makes this book an outstanding read, notwithstanding the author's occasional disorganizing chronology.
May 4, 2009
This offers an interesting, though at times tediously detailed, account of the perspectives and interactions of an array of Washington insiders in dealing with international crises since WWII.
December 24, 2014
Broad scope (historical sweep) with great insight, good stories and insights, and not too much bias. This was up through 2006 and I'd love to get the update through today! An intense read.
January 18, 2017
Great historical analysis that makes you really jaded if you read it during the Obama-Trump transition.
February 10, 2007
Pending.
June 7, 2011
Excellent, thorough history lesson. Dense read, though.
Read
November 20, 2018Interesting book especially on the national security council. Went through some of its history and stuff. Read for school.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews