The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for Its Renewal“A masterful diplomatic memoir” (The Washington Post) from CIA director and career ambassador William J. Burns, from his service under five presidents to his personal encounters with Vladimir Putin and other world leaders—an impassioned argument for the enduring value of diplomacy in an increasingly volatile world. Over the course of more than three decades as an American diplomat, William J. Burns played a central role in the most consequential diplomatic episodes of his time—from the bloodless end of the Cold War to the collapse of post–Cold War relations with Putin’s Russia, from post–9/11 tumult in Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Middle East to the secret nuclear talks with Iran. In The Back Channel, Burns recounts, with novelistic detail and incisive analysis, some of the seminal moments of his career. Drawing on a trove of newly declassified cables and memos, he gives readers a rare inside look at American diplomacy in action. His dispatches from war-torn Chechnya and Qaddafi’s bizarre camp in the Libyan desert and his warnings of the “Perfect Storm” that would be unleashed by the Iraq War will reshape our understanding of history—and inform the policy debates of the future. Burns sketches the contours of effective American leadership in a world that resembles neither the zero-sum Cold War contest of his early years as a diplomat nor the “unipolar moment” of American primacy that followed. Ultimately, The Back Channel is an eloquent, deeply informed, and timely story of a life spent in service of American interests abroad. It is also a powerful reminder, in a time of great turmoil, of the enduring importance of diplomacy. |
Contents
The Limits of Agency | 3 |
Bets Pivots and Resets | 243 |
Restoring Americas Tool | 388 |
00100000 | 481 |
The Inversion of Force and Diplomacy 147 | 489 |
Other editions - View all
The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for Its Renewal William J. Burns No preview available - 2020 |
Common terms and phrases
Abdullah administration agreement ambassador American Amman Arab Baker building Bush challenge clear Clinton Cold concerns continued conversation deal decades defense Department diplomacy diplomatic direct early economic effort embassy engage especially face force foreign foreign policy going hand hard immediate initial interests Iran Iranian Iraq Iraqi Israeli issue Jordan King late later leaders leadership less looked manage March meeting Middle East military minister months Moscow negotiations never nuclear Obama offer opening Palestinian peace play political possible Powell president Press problems Putin regime regional relations remained Rice risks role Russian Saddam SECRET Secretary seemed senior sense served Soviet staff step strategy talks term thought tion took transition trying United Washington White House York