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The Envoy: From Kabul to the White House, My Journey Through a Turbulent World Hardcover – March 22, 2016
| Zalmay Khalilzad (Author) Find all the books, read about the author, and more. See search results for this author |
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Zalmay Khalilzad grew up in a traditional family in the ancient city of Mazar-i-Sharif, Afghanistan. As a teenager, Khalilzad spent a year as an exchange student in California, where after some initial culture shocks he began to see the merits of America's very different way of life. He believed the ideals that make American culture work, like personal initiative, community action, and respect for women, could make a transformative difference to his home country, the Muslim world and beyond. Of course, 17-year-old Khalilzad never imagined that he would one day be in a position to advance such ideas.
With 9/11, he found himself uniquely placed to try to shape mutually beneficial relationships between his two worlds. As U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq, he helped craft two constitutions and forge governing coalitions. As U.S. Ambassador to the UN, he used his unique personal diplomacy to advance U.S. interests and values. In The Envoy, Khalilzad details his experiences under three presidential administrations with candid behind-the-scenes insights. He argues that America needs an intelligent, effective foreign policy informed by long-term thinking and supported by bipartisan commitment.
Part memoir, part record of a political insider, and part incisive analysis of the current Middle East, The Envoy arrives in time for foreign policy discussions leading up to the 2016 election.
- Print length336 pages
- LanguageEnglish
- PublisherSt. Martin's Press
- Publication dateMarch 22, 2016
- Dimensions6.43 x 1.09 x 9.48 inches
- ISBN-101250083001
- ISBN-13978-1250083005
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Editorial Reviews
Review
**One of Parag Khanna's Ten Great Global Reads for Summer 2016**
"There have been a number of memoirs by Bush administration officials, but Mr. Khalilzad’s is far and away the most reflective, honest and compelling." ―The Washington Times
"For anyone desiring a detailed chronicle of America’s nation-building efforts after the invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq, Mr. Khalilzad’s book should be required reading." ―Wall Street Journal
"One of the most intriguing individuals to play a leading role in the Bush-era wars is Zalmay Khalilzad, a polished diplomat who was the most senior Muslim in the White House at the time of the 9/11 attacks." ―The Financial Times
"A chronological, straightforward, occasionally disturbing history of the challenges leading to the current morass." ―Kirkus Reviews
“It was fascinating to watch Zal operate in Afghanistan: he knew the country better than any of the foreigners who were in the city and he cared for it as much as any Afghan did. He knew Iraq better than almost all the American officials who were responsible for the decisions whose consequences led to the present situation in the country and the region. Khalilzad's book tells his story with an honest detachment which is refreshingly different from the self-serving, biased accounts we have been used to getting." ―Lakhdar Brahimi
"The Envoy is the story of the remarkable life journey of one of our nation's great diplomats. Riveting in its telling, inspiring in its stories, and insightful in its commentary, The Envoy is a book that should find its way onto the bookshelf of anyone who cherishes the American dream and cares about what is happening in our world today." Michael Morell, former Acting and Deputy Director of the CIA and author of the bestselling book about terrorism, The Great War of Our Time
"Zal Khalilzad was the premier American diplomate of the last decade, serving as the top U.S. envoy to Afghanistan, Iraq and the United Nations. He made and has now written an important contribution to our post 9/11 history. Zal's is also a uniquely American story, of someone born in a distant land and raised in a different culture who embraced and then represented with distinction his adopted land." ―James Dobbins
“Zalmay Khalilzad is a special talent and colleague who not only thinks strategically, but deftly implements policies on the ground in the most challenging of circumstances. His finger-tip feel for the politics, culture, and personalities of the Middle East, combined with his understanding of the measured use of America’s capabilities, has made him one of the most effective diplomats in recent times. Zal has written a memoir that recounts events he saw firsthand with important insights for today's challenges.” ―Donald H. Rumsfeld
"A remarkably candid account by a man who was at the eye of the storm of U.S. foreign policy over the first decade of the 21st century. Ambassador Zal Khalilzad understands as few others do the complex interplay between politics and policy in Washington, and what it takes to implement those decisions in some of the toughest environments around the world." ―Lt. General David Barno (ret.), former head of Combined Forces Command-Afghanistan
“I'm so pleased that Zal has finally written this long overdue book. I'm not given to cultural arguments, but there was something about Zal's effectiveness in the Middle East that seemed attributable to his comfort with the ways of the region -- and better yet, the region's comfort level with him. His perspective is invaluable.” ―Condoleezza Rice
“Zalmay Khalilzad and I were both born abroad, became American, and worked as academics and practitioners of U.S. foreign policy. He has always operated with a positive vision about what America represents in the world. Zal offers compelling insights into what it means to be of two places, and he has a fascinating and gritty story to share of the making of U.S. policy in one of the most complicated and challenging regions of the world.” ―Madeleine Albright
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Product details
- Publisher : St. Martin's Press (March 22, 2016)
- Language : English
- Hardcover : 336 pages
- ISBN-10 : 1250083001
- ISBN-13 : 978-1250083005
- Item Weight : 1.17 pounds
- Dimensions : 6.43 x 1.09 x 9.48 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #547,926 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #12 in Arab & Middle Eastern Biographies
- #900 in Middle Eastern Politics
- #3,750 in Political Leader Biographies
- Customer Reviews:
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His new book is titled The Envoy, with the sub-titled, From Kabul to the Whitehouse, My Journey Through a Turbulent World. The book is much more than a memoir. It is a wonderful tale of the impressions of a young man from a third world country seeing a modern country for the first time; a short history of Afghanistan; an amazing and poignant firsthand account of U.S. involvement in Afghanistan and Iraq; a prescription for a way forward for as we try to cope with an increasingly complex world. It is all this and more.
Khalizad attained his bachelor's and master's degrees from the American University Beirut, Lebanon and a PhD at the University of Chicago. He has a wealth of experience in international affairs, working both in and out of government. Most significantly, he served as U.S. ambassador to Afghanistan and Iraq during the George W Bush administration.
Reading Khalizad’s account, first of our efforts in Afghanistan and then Iraq, is almost like being involved in the decision processes that have affected success and failure of those consuming ventures. Anyone who has followed these two conflicts and their aftermath will repeatedly nod her head as Khalilzad describes one bad decision after another.
In the final analysis, and notwithstanding the man y times his recommendations were ignored, Khalilzad had substantial influence on decisions and outcomes. Thus is must be concluded that he was uniquely qualified to serve in his various positions, and the U.S. was indeed fortunate to have him in the government.
One of Khalilzad’s best capabilities is as a strategic thinker. Throughout the book, as many around him took the short-range view, he consistently considered the longer term. Hence it is no surprise that he has some very sound prescriptive measures for our country as we forge ahead.
Readers of this book – regardless of political persuasion – will like and respect Zalmay Khalilzad. It is easy to conclude that Afghanistan’s loss was our gain when he became an American.
If I have a substantive criticism, it is that Khalilzad--despite having written a respectful-of-all, non political, non partisan book--casually asserts that President Obama's decision to leave Iraq was a big mistake. The reality is more complexl. President Bush promised complete withdrawal by December 31 2011, as actually occurred. Many military and foreign-policy figures urged that the US leave tens of thousands of forces for a longer period, but negotiations for such an extension with acceptable protections for U.S. forces were unsuccessful. Some insist that such an extension could have been obtained if President Obama had merely tried harder; others (with comparable rank and access) insist that Iraqi nationalism and internal politics made that impossible. So also, Khalilzad criticizes the Obama administration for not allowing the military sufficient time to execute the necessary campaign in Afghanistan without acknowledging the absence of evidence to support the belief that more time would have made a difference. Arguably, the fundamental problem was and remains Pakistan. Another problem was governance within Afghanistan, which showed no sign of improvement under Karzai. President Obama, whether wisely or unwisely, concluded that enough blood and money had been squandered on wars that could not be won. The American people had obviously had their fill as well.
All told, this is an excellent, engaging, and informative book. I suspect that history would have turned out more cheerfully had more of Khalilzad's advice been taken along the way and if the U.S. had been fortunate enough to have at least one more person with his talents.









