The Strategist: The Life and Times of Thomas Schelling
On October 10, 2005, the Nobel Prize Committee announced that  Thomas C. Schelling had won the Prize for Economics "for having enhanced  our understanding of conflict and cooperation through game-theory  analysis." It was an announcement many had long expected. Though little  known to the general public, Schelling's influence on the post-World War II  world has been considerable. Notable in many academic arenas, Schelling's  name continues to be associated most frequently with the Cold War and  nuclear strategy.Deterrence, the "hotline," Kennedy's stance during the  brinkmanship of the Berlin Crisis, and Mutually Assured Destruction are  examples of his role during the world's most dangerous era. Schelling  emerged on the scene soon after the Cold War began, as he was off to Europe  with the Marshall Plan, and his influence continued into the 1970s,  contributing to the SALT I and ABM arms negotiation breakthroughs.It was  with the think tank RAND that Schelling began to transform into a "Cold  Warrior," and where he adopted the game-theory analysis he would use as  part of his strategic thinking. Always the rationalist, he sought to reduce  situations to puzzles that could be solved and used metaphors to explain  key elements, so those who made decisions would do so with understanding.  He was remarkably successful, but the margin for error was small, and there  were times when it was perilously close.Until now, his story, that of a  strategic thinker behind the scenes during the major events of the  turbulent Cold War, was a missing part of the drama.