You want to send me where? -- Two jobs, two countries, one house -- Afghanistan: whistling past the graveyard of empires -- Libya: Qaddafi's last stand -- Syria: through a glass darkly -- The Balkans: where old ghosts die hard -- Israel: the best of times, the worst of times -- Russia: why can't we just get along? -- Leadership challenges and pitfalls: McChrystal, Petraeus, Allen, . . . and me -- Tricks of the trade: how leaders make things happen -- The postman never rings twice: strategic communication -- Requiem for strategic planning? -- Innovation: the father of all necessity -- NATO: quo vadis? -- What keeps me awake at night: convergence -- Going ashore -- Appendix A. Gen. John Kelly's e-mail on the death of his son, Robert -- Appendix B. the North Atlantic Treaty -- Appendix C. The NATO Lisbon Summit declaration -- Appendix D. Reading list.