When William Cohen '62, secretary of defense under former president Bill Clinton, left office, many people surely expected him to write a memoir about his experiences. Instead, the Bowdoin alumnus authored "Dragon Fire," a highly charged thriller about a fictional U.S. secretary. His investigation of a potential nuclear threat thrusts him into a world of underhanded politicians and international terrorist threats.
Cohen's desire to educate the world about the increasing danger of potential terrorist threats prompted his surprising decision to commemorate his experiences within the realm of fiction.
"In writing creatively about a serious subject," Cohen said, "I hope both to enlighten and entertain, potentially reaching an audience beyond those who might read a nonfiction tome."
Since its publication in late August, the novel has already touched a broad international audience, such as a Russian television host who said that the novel "had given him a virtual tour of the minds and machinations of powerful people who play on the global chessboard."
Cohen's life experiences give him exceptional insight into this world of international power and intrigue. After graduating from Bowdoin College with a B.A. in Latin, Cohen was elected to both the House and the Senate, serving three terms in each respectively.
In 1997, Clinton asked Cohen to lead his Department of Defense, making the moderate Republican the first elected official in modern U.S. history to be chosen as a member of the opposing party's cabinet.
During his tenure as secretary of defense, Cohen experienced not only the largest defense spending increase in 15 years, but also oversaw the United States' military transition into the post-Cold War era of biological warfare and terrorist threats. After 31 years of public service, Cohen founded The Cohen Group, an organization that helped multinational clients pursue international business opportunities.
This insider knowledge about the global world of high stakes power and espionage gives "Dragon Fire" an unrivaled authenticity and realism. As a fictional secretary of defense, Michael Santini encounters an alliance between a conservative Chinese general and a billionaire Russian mafia boss. Cohen's knowledge about the global environment renders this frightening situation believability and fascinating.
"I've chosen to reveal how a shift in the balance of power might be brought about by those who operate in shadows, secretly plotting how power might be seized through selective assassinations and covert actions," Cohen said.
As the plot races across the world at breakneck pace, Cohen describes military maneuvers and political machinations with detail and insight that could only be acquired through first hand experience. Unfortunately, the secretary's prose occasionally falls short of his insider expertise. Some phrases?such as "The Pentagon signified solidity. Simple. Interconnected. Enduring. Like America itself"?seem cliché and clunky, detracting from the otherwise engaging story.
However, for readers who are looking for an exciting thriller rather than a formal literary narrative, "Dragon Fire" offers a creative and authentic account of the currently charged political climate. In the words of Clinton, Cohen has "drawn upon his extensive experience to write a gripping tale of excitement and intrigue."