Customer Reviews

Diplomacy Lessons: Realism for an Unloved Superpower

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4 star:		(2)
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2 star:		(1)
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John Brady Kiesling's Diplomacy Lessons are exactly what they say they are, and nowhere have I seen a clearer explanation of how America has gone wrong in its dealings with the rest of the world. The latter, it appears, is far more intricate and in need of care than the current administration would have us believe. On the contrary, the skill and wisdom with which our career diplomats interact with foreigners is a primary factor optimizing our place in the world and in all that serves the best interests of America. Playing fast and loose these past five years with so essential and hard-won a system of good will and reciprocity has been an incalculable blunder. Kiesling carefully explains, often by citing examples from his own long experience in Greece and elsewhere, the principles of effective diplomacy and how we might regain our footing through smarter behavior. His book should be required reading for anyone concerned with foreign policy and, indeed, it promises to be a fine gift for that favorite smirking blowhard who thinks he understands the world.

Nearly every page has nuggets of insight cleverly embedded in examples that kept me smiling through my tears. Genuine honorable patriotism - that's what invoked my tears of awe. It's a wonder to have a public American to be proud of. Brady Keisling is one. All honor to him.
Brady Keisling's voice deserves the widest possible audience. Americans can be so proud of his courage. Keisling's advice and history needs to be heard by those who can use it to save-or salvage U.S. respect abroad. Brady deserves a spot on the high level team of advisors to the next administration. And we deserve to be represented by his impeccable devotion to a better world. Secretary of State is probably too bureaucratic a slot, but whoever that is should listen very very closely to what Brady Keisling has to say. He's got the'brains, humility, skepticism and commitment' (what he says a real leader needs) as well as a dazzling command of language and the finest standards of true patriotism.

Brady is an old college friend of mine, and I was eager to buy his book when the security-clearance guys let it out. I was not disappointed. Brady tells a good story, and has some good stories to tell. Through his many examples of diplomatic life and diplomatic problems, he provides an insightful analysis how foreign policy is really implemented on the ground--and how it can easily fail.

While the US may have enough brute force to demand things and bully other countries into complying, the costs we pay for such behavior (in future hostility and non-cooperation) are high. For example: our earlier bullying over the Iraq invasion and the International Criminal Court have left us with few allies at a time when we really need international help to bail us out of the mess we face in Iraq. Intelligent diplomacy offers alternative to out-and-out bullying, and would have been useful back in 2002.

Brady is a intelligent and witty writer. Some of the security clearance redacts also provide unwitting humor. For example: will we ever know what John Bolton's unsavory bureaucratic habits suggest?

Author John Brady Kiesling was a political counselor of the U.S. embassy in Athens, but resigned in 2003 to protest the Bush administration's forthcoming invasion of Iraq. DIPLOMACY LESSONS: REALISM FOR AN UNLOVED SUPERPOWER surveys the methods and processes of American diplomacy overseas, providing background history, and surveys of changing strategies, ideas on how it works and sometimes - especially lately - fails. Any who would understand modern world issues and interactions must have DIPLOMACY LESSONS.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

This is the BEST BOOK I have ever read on real world diplomacy. The combination of his feet on the ground experience and clear eyed view of American diplomacy is most powerful. I started writing down pithy, pertinent quotations as I read it through the second time, but I filled up too many notebook pages. Perhaps it will be best to read it yet again! Here are a few: "A politician who obeys the dictates of a hostile superpower is toast." "..local nationalism and resistance to outsiders trumps the call of ideology or religion." "Someone whose ego has been sandblasted by the humiliations of learning a language successfully from scratch as an adult is bettter at risking the reciprocal vulnerability required for relationship building."

Mr. Kiesling is of course famous for his notable letter of resignation at the beginning of the latest Iraq adventure after which he left a 20 year career as a diplomat. Hearing the backstory of his departure alone would have been interesting enough reading. But, surprisingly, that story is only the introduction to the real book.

Diplomacy Lessons ends up being a tour-de-force about the modern craft of international affairs, a book that transmits both the soul of the profession and the technical details that make up getting along in a world transformed by globalization. Befitting the archaeogical background of its author, the book delves into international relations with a much more sweeping view, starting with Greek democracy and projecting into the future. Diplomacy Lessons goes beyond the shallow headlines of our news sources into what's really going on - not just back room details, but simple stuff like "Hey, there are reactionary nationalists in EVERY country." You get the immediate sense that this is the backstory you need in order to understand current events.

Not that it's an easy read. Probably to the reader's benefit, the book has not been overly edited to meet mass appeal. The text can be quite dense at times, and the organization can seem a bit haphazard. Then again, to leave much out would detract from the value it provides.

The author also adds choice phrases that can only come from a man never again considering a career in federal government such as "the flies gathered in swarms like defense contractors." Who knows if a big publishing house would have let such zingers go - but it adds to the color.

If you follow the news AT ALL, then BUY THIS BOOK.

I bought this book after seeing Mr. Kiesling speak about it in a bookshop on PBS. I was impressed by his sincerity and knew, from the chaos of our involvement in Iraq and elsewhere, that his insight was needed. As a career diplomat, he's seen first-hand how diplomacy has been shunted aside in favor of blundering military might. He isn't just defending his own field, however, since he demonstrates how arrogance actually loses ground for the U.S., both by making us more of a target and destroying our credibility with potential friends. While he's on-target as far as he goes, Mr. Kiesling stops a bit short in his criticism of the Bush administration. He sees it as incompetent but basically well-meaning, rather hastily dismissing any ulterior motives. I suppose this is due to residual loyalty, but the more credible doubts about the administration's motives should eventually be attended to.

I recieved this book as a Christmas present. It is certainly the kind of book I'm fond of reading. This was no exception. As a career diplomat, Kiesling sees the importance of projecting American inflence, but as the subtitle suggest he is "realistic" is how far this influence can go. However, his presenation gets repetitive in places and is needlessly wordy. For example, he included, as an appendix, his letter of resignation. You can see in the personal document that his natural writing style is rather verbose. Some of that style made it way into this book. Still an important addition to the bookshelf library. Four stars.

Kiesling's cogently and convincingly presented lessons are a useful read for anybody who takes an interest in foreign policy, but all our politicians, of BOTH parties, ought to read it. Unfortunately, very few of them will.

After 10 pages i decided to leave it, too boring for me, maybe my wife will be able to read it.