Most Helpful Customer Reviews
18 of 22 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A book needed for our time, August 10, 2007
This review is from: Statecraft: And How to Restore America's Standing in the World (Hardcover)
From the mind of a man who assuredly counts among America's most thoughtful and experienced diplomats comes this timely important work on the subject of statecraft, an area much neglected in this administration in favor of what Ross calls "faith based diplomacy." While Ross has policy inclinations of his own, having thought long and hard on these topics and written on them widely both in his last book on the failed Oslo process and his column in the New Republic, his goal here is not to urge a particular goal but a process to the world of international relations. Like an academic, Ross moves through his topic, first defining statecraft, then elucidating his views on proper methodology.
For Ross, statecraft consists of reality based analysis which in turn leads policy makers to achievable end and plans to marshal the resources to achieve those ends. Not surprisingly he castigates the Bush administration, not merely for their eschewing of thoughtful analysis - As Stephen Colbert cleverly observed to President Bush "facts have a liberal bias" - but likewise for their failure to assemble the resources required to achieve their stated ends. In a perfect case he points to the Iraq War, arguing that even if the administration had been correct in their every prediction they still failed to bring enough forces to bear to secure the 900 sites they identified as related to weapons of mass destruction and the boarders to prevent from those weapons, had they existed, from slipping into Syria, Iran, or elsewhere. From Iraq to China, Ross offers examples of what he would imagine as the appropriate statecraft approaches to challenges on the world state.
Interestingly, despite his own neo-liberal perspective, Ross argues for statecraft as a means to achieve even those ends he might disagree with. Most telling, he points with admiration at Germany's Otto von Bismarck as the ultimate master of these methods. Ross explains that he wrote this book to inform the discussion in the current presidential race, leaving unsaid that it reads like a job application for Secretary or Deputy Secretary of State. Nonetheless, he has with its release done the US a great service; all citizens should read it and press the candidates to grapple with its implications.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Ross on Diplomacy, Negotiation, and Mediation; a Great Read, August 23, 2007
This review is from: Statecraft: And How to Restore America's Standing in the World (Hardcover)
Dennis Ross' book on statecraft provides an insightful look into the world of diplomacy and negotiation, which are the two prime ingredients, the author claims, of statecraft. But the book is more than just a theoretical discussion: Ross combines his considerable real-world experience gained through his tenure in multiple administrations to move the discourse into the hard realities of the world as it actually exists, not just paper abstracts. And therein perhaps lays the greatest strength of this book. Yes, the book is a polemic of sorts, but there are probably not too many who would argue with the central premise of this book, that the U.S. has lost standing in the world, finds itself in a series of extremely difficult situations (perhaps mostly of our own making), and is now faced with a new structure of emerging and re-aligned world powers that require meaningful engagement if we are to restore the country to its former standing.
Not all will agree with Ross' political discourse in this book. Nevertheless, that should be no reason to either overlook the treasure trove of experiences which he brings to the table, nor neglect the impressive insight he shares on both past and present political dilemmas. There are commonalities he feels apply to all these situations (we are given twelve rules of negotiation, and eleven rules of mediation, for example), but there is great value in working through the individual, unique examples he provides as historical case studies in which statecraft was both successfully and unsuccessfully practiced. There can be little doubt that any person (or administration) wishing to improve its own negotiating and mediating prowess could learn from this series of important discourses.
One "extra" found in this book is the highly detailed and insider's view of the statecraft carried on by the Bush 41 administration in helping garner worldwide support to respond to the invasion of Kuwait. Ross is able to lay out in narrative detail the diplomatic steps that were taken both in and out of the public view to help build consensus, and ever better, a careful and meaningful comparison to the LACK of statecraft efforts by the current administration in building such a consensus. Whether one agrees or disagrees with the current administration's policies, we can almost cringe when we see the difference between how the father and the son handled these events. Ross lays it out in a manner that is virtually impossible to ignore.
Ross' book has one unintended outcome in my own mind. In spite of the fact that Ross actually addresses this particular item at various points in the book, the text lays out enough detail on some of today's most pressing world issues to the point to where they appear so difficult, so complicated, and so divergent that solutions simply appear to be out of reach. Of course, sometimes these situations contain a "Gordian Knot" that, once found, can be a key to unlocking seeming intractable problems. But work through some of Ross' examples and see if you agree. It's more of a commentary on the present set of problems in which the world finds itself than on any perceived shortcoming of Ross' skills as a negotiation expert, and the book indeed recommends a number of approaches that might be quite worthy of implementation. But there is a feeling of frustration lurking around the corners and between the lines in this book for any reader who possesses more than a passing familiarity with today's outstanding issues.
Regardless, this is an outstanding treatise on negotiation and mediation, and the author's suggestions probably have application in many areas of life, not just in intra-governmental settings. A great read that is an important addition to the discourse - or perhaps, to get the discourse started. Plan to spend a few days or perhaps a week on the text to get it down and be able to think carefully about it as you go.
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
19 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Statecraft is Brilliant and a Must read, June 14, 2007
This review is from: Statecraft: And How to Restore America's Standing in the World (Hardcover)
I received my copy of Statecraft yesterday afternoon from Amazon and haven't been able to put it down ever since. This is the most thoughtful and useful foreign policy book that's been written in decades.
Statecraft is a "must read" for anyone who's serious about American foreign policy. Dennis Ross does a brilliant job delineating a realistic prescription for a strong and effective American foreign policy for the 21st Century that is necessary to deal with our real enemies while reversing the enormous mistakes of the past seven years.
Ross, who was a top aide to Daddy Bush, Jim Baker and Bill Clinton, demonstrates an extraordinary grasp of how America can once again lead the world as we did during the days of FDR, Harry Truman, JFK and Woodrow Wilson. Every 2008 presidential candidate should read and ABSORB this book.
Ross demonstrates an amazing in-depth understanding of all regions of the world--Europe, China, Iran, the Baltics, and of course, Iraq and the rest of the Middle East. The book provides a sophisticated definition of statecraft and how essential that capability will be for the United States to once again emerge as the world's most respected foreign policy leader. Although Ross clearly can handle any foreign policy situation, we are fortunate that he is probably the most knowledgeable and effective person on the planet in regards to the Middle East--BECAUSE THIS IS WHERE MOST OF OUR CURRENT AND FUTURE THREATS EMANATE FROM.
What makes Ross (and Statecraft) so unique is that this guy not only has an amazing understanding of foreign policy issues, but he is also a very effective practitioner. Very few people in this field are able to combine the analytical ability to fully comprehend a dangerous situation with the great strategic instincts necessary to turn that problem into an opportunity for the United States (and the world), and then possess the rare skills required to execute the desirable policy effectively and successfully.
If we're ever going to reverse the disasters of the past seven years, this man's experience, brilliance and good judgment are a must. Statecraft is a good first step in that direction.
Harley Frankel
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews
Was this review helpful to you? Yes
No
|
![[Start the discussion]](http://g-ecx.images-amazon.com/images/G/01/x-locale/communities/discussion_boards/start-new-discussion-sec._V192250339_.gif){kind=small}
