Synopses & Reviews
In this wise and thought-provoking book, the renowned peace negotiator Dennis Ross shows that Americas current foreign policy problems stem from the Bush administrations inability to use the tools of statecraft to advance our national interests. Ross explains that in the globalized worldwith its fluid borders, terrorist networks, and violent unreststatecraft is more necessary than ever. In vivid chapters, he outlines how statecraft helped shape a new world order after 1989. He shows how the failure of statecraft in Iraq and throughout the Middle East has undercut the United States and makes clear that only statecraft can check the rise of China and the danger of a nuclear Iran. He draws on his expertise to reveal the art of successful negotiation. And he shows how the next president could resolve todays problems and define a realistic, ambitious foreign policy.
Statecraft is an essential book for our time” (Walter Isaacson).
Dennis Ross, Middle East envoy and the chief peace negotiator in the presidential administrations of George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, is now a counselor and distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland.
A Choice Outstanding Academic Title In this thought-provoking book, the peace negotiator Dennis Ross argues that the Bush administrations problems stem from its inability to use the tools of statecraftdiplomatic, economic, and militaryto advance our interests.
Statecraft is as old as politics: Plato wrote about it, Machiavelli practiced it. After the demise of Communism, some predicted that statecraft would wither away. But Ross explains that in the globalized worldwith its fluid borders, terrorist networks, and violent unreststatecraft is necessary simply to keep the peace.
Ross outlines how statecraft helped shape a new world order after 1989. He shows how the failure of statecraft in Iraq and the Middle East has undercut the United States internationally, and makes clear that only statecraft can check the rise of China and the danger of a nuclear Iran. He draws on his expertise to reveal the art of successful negotiation. And he shows how the next president could resolve todays problems and define a realistic, ambitious foreign policy. "A crash course in Diplomacy 101. A self-described lifelong Democrat, Ross served in the Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Clinton administrations . . . Now he takes a step back to offer a sweeping look at rehabilitating America's image abroad. The result is an important and illuminating book."Jacob Heilbrunn, The New York Times Book Review "A crash course in Diplomacy 101. A self-described lifelong Democrat, Ross served in the Reagan, George H. W. Bush and Clinton administrations . . . Now he takes a step back to offer a sweeping look at rehabilitating America's image abroad. The result is an important and illuminating book."Jacob Heilbrunn, The New York Times Book Review "Liberally drawing on his personal experiences in U.S.-Soviet affairs, the Gulf War, and Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, Ross explains the arts of negotiation and mediation. Statecraft is especially useful for readers lost in today's mostly strategy-free foreign policy environment. Ross identifies the key ingredients of effective statecraft: clearly defined objectives and policy consensus within government; accurate, realistic assessments of obstacles and of the resources required to overcome them; and the systematic integration of all tools of power in a sustained and intense diplomatic effort . . . An important contribution to the vital debate about how the next president should define and implement foreign policy. One can only hope that this debate will include experienced and adult participants who will take inspiration from Ross' book."Chester A. Crocker, Foreign Affairs
"An important book about how the absence of statecraft in Iraq and in the Middle East has led to the present deterioration in Americas international image throughout most of the world . . . In several well-crafted chapters, Ross details how the Bush 41 administration used statecraft to overcome Soviet resistance to a unified Germany, and to create a coalition that was able to confront Saddam Husseins invasion of Kuwait in 1990, without the disastrous results that embody the current debacle in Iraq . . . This timely and instructive book makes it clear that if there is to be a resolution of the many conflicts faced by the United States in the near future, statecraft must no longer be a lost art, but as Ross concludes, 'it is time to rediscover it.'"Jewish Book World
"Statecraft is full of insights about how the world works and why U.S. foreign policy doesnt. Dennis Ross provides a refreshing prescription for renewing U.S. leadership. A brilliant book at just the right time."Madeleine Albright, former Secretary of State
"Many may speak of statecraft, but few actually understand it. Dennis Ross is one of our country's best practitioners of statecraft. Now he has written about it. He offers important insights into what made for good and bad statecraft in the past, and offers an extraordinary guide for how to employ its tools. Even more importantly, he applies it prospectively to demonstrate what needs to be done (and how to do it) on challenges like the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and Iranian nuclear weapons. Rarely has a book been more timely or urgently needed."Bill Clinton
"For the past two decades, Dennis Ross has been a participant in or close observer of the major events in U.S. foreign policy. His new book offers both insightful modern history and a senior practitioners guidance on how to deploy Americas multi-faceted influence to achieve the nation's ends. Whether student, scholar, or struggling to understand Americas unique ability to shape world affairs, readers will gain from his pointed and perceptive analyses."Robert B. Zoellick, Former U.S Trade Representative and Deputy Secretary of State
"This is an essential book for our time. With the rise of terrorism in a globalized world, the art of statecraft is more critical than ever. But America seems to have lost its touch for diplomacy. Dennis Ross is one of the nation's most brilliant and dedicated negotiators. He explains the past triumphs of statecraft, most notably during the administration of the elder President Bush, gives useful rules for how to succeed in negotiations, and envisions a statecraft that a future president could use to deal with the Middle East and China."Walter Isaacson, President of the Aspen Institute and author of Einstein: His Life and Universe
"Dennis Ross is one of our wisest practitioners of statecraft. In this well written account, he lays out the wisdom and skills he applied in Republican and Democratic administrations, and outlines the statecraft we so desperately need if we are to restore America's influence and soft power in the world."Joseph S. Nye, Jr. is University Distinguished Professor at Harvard and author of Soft Power: The Means to Success in World Politics
"Ross was the U.S. chief Middle East envoy in the Bush I and Clinton administrations, an experience he chronicled in The Missing Peace: The Inside Story of the Fight for Middle East Peace. His latest book examines more broadly the practice of strategic diplomacy, the pragmatic exercise of which he considers absolutely crucial for global security in the twenty-first century. Adopting a pedagogical tone, Ross uses case studies (including the Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations) to illustrate statecraft in practice. His chapters on negotiation and mediation likewise blend description of what has worked in the past with instructional advice on how to wield the tools of the trade effectively. ('Employ the good cop-bad cop approach carefully,' for example.) Ross also profitably invokes the foreign policy of the Bush II administration as an antimodel. A cogent call for a return to what Francis Fukuyama has called 'realistic Wilsonianism,' this account is apparently aimed at the foreign-policy professionals of the future and those who might appoint them."Brendan Driscoll, Booklist
"Ross, the Clinton administration's Middle East envoy, makes the seemingly dreary, opaque processes of international diplomacy as coherent, absorbing and occasionally dramatic as a procedural thriller. He conceives of statecraft as a subtle orchestration of foreign policy 'assets,' including intelligence and analysis, diplomacy, sanctions, economic aid and military pressure. Most of all, it requires negotiations: the book's middle section is a lengthy tutorial on the nuts and bolts of epic negotiating, Ross's forte, complete with tips on how and when to stage angry outbursts at the conference table. The author illustrates with case studies of foreign policy triumphs and disasters (many of which he had a hand in), from German reunification to the war in Iraq. The book is an avowedly 'neo-liberal' rebuke of Bush's unilateralist, 'faith-based' foreign policy blundering. Indeed, with its call for virtuoso state craftsmanship and its detailed proposals on everything from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or Iranian nuclear ambitions to relations with China, it could well be Ross's application for the 2009 secretary of state opening. If so, it's an impressive one, full of canny, judicious insights into the making of foreign policy."Publishers Weekly
Review
“If America is going to try to return to practicing statecraft,
Statecraft shows where to begin.” —Jacob Heilbrunn,
The New York Times Book Review “An important contribution to the vital debate about how the next president should define and implement foreign policy.” —Chester A. Crocker, Foreign Affairs “Rarely has a book been more timely or urgently needed. ” —Bill Clinton
Synopsis
In this wise and thought-provoking book, the renowned peace negotiator Dennis Ross shows that Americas current foreign policy problems stem from the Bush administrations inability to use the tools of statecraft to advance our national interests. Ross explains that in the globalized world—with its fluid borders, terrorist networks, and violent unrest—statecraft is more necessary than ever. In vivid chapters, he outlines how statecraft helped shape a new world order after 1989. He shows how the failure of statecraft in Iraq and throughout the Middle East has undercut the United States and makes clear that only statecraft can check the rise of China and the danger of a nuclear Iran. He draws on his expertise to reveal the art of successful negotiation. And he shows how the next president could resolve todays problems and define a realistic, ambitious foreign policy. Statecraft is “an essential book for our time” (Walter Isaacson).
Synopsis
In this thought-provoking book, renowned peace negotiator Ross argues that the Bush administrations problems stem from its inability to use the tools of statecraft--diplomatic, economic, and military--to advance the nations interests around the world.
Synopsis
In this wise and thought-provoking book, the renowned peace negotiator Dennis Ross shows that Americas current foreign policy problems stem from the Bush administrations inability to use the tools of statecraft to advance our national interests. Ross explains that in the globalized worldwith its fluid borders, terrorist networks, and violent unreststatecraft is more necessary than ever. In vivid chapters, he outlines how statecraft helped shape a new world order after 1989. He shows how the failure of statecraft in Iraq and throughout the Middle East has undercut the United States and makes clear that only statecraft can check the rise of China and the danger of a nuclear Iran. He draws on his expertise to reveal the art of successful negotiation. And he shows how the next president could resolve todays problems and define a realistic, ambitious foreign policy. Statecraft is “an essential book for our time” (Walter Isaacson).
About the Author
Dennis Ross, Middle East envoy and the chief peace negotiator in the presidential administrations of George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, is now a counselor and distinguished fellow at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy. He lives in Bethesda, Maryland.