Diplomacy Lessons

by Kiesling, John Brady

• ISBN13: 9781597970174
• ISBN10: 1597970174
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2006-08-01
• Publisher: Potomac Books Inc

Summary

John Brady Kiesling, a twenty-year veteran of the foreign service, publicly resigned his position as political counselor of the U.S. Embassy in Athens in February 2003 to protest the Bush administration's impending invasion of Iraq. He believed that the security, economic, and moral costs of this war, including the blackening of America's image abroad, would far outweigh any benefit to the American people. In Diplomacy Lessons, Kiesling reminds readers that U.S. power does not rest on military might alone and that anger at America has real consequences for U.S. national interests. The security and prosperity of the American people depend on efficient cooperation with foreigners on a range of issues, not only terrorism and nuclear nonproliferation but also trade policy, environmental protection, and even public health. The policy decisions of America's foreign partners are driven by domestic politics, just as they are in the United States, and effective U.S. diplomacy requires understanding these political realities. An unloved superpower faces significant costs, both economic and strategic, in the pursuit of its interests. Kiesling calls for a return to realist policy making that recognizes the limits of U.S. power and uses thoughtful diplomacy to legitimize our security requirements in the eyes of our international partners. This book is, at heart, an argument for how to best achieve America's goals abroad. Kiesling's passionate critique of current U.S. foreign policy and his prescriptions for restoring American influence and legitimacy will interest anyone concerned about the future of U.S. and world affairs.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	ix
Introduction	1	(4)
A Diplomat's Rebellion	5	(30)
Understanding Foreign Nationalism	35	(12)
The Sources of U.S. Legitimacy	47	(20)
Some Rules of the Game	67	(20)
Diplomatic Character and the Art of Curiosity	87	(14)
Bureaucratic Fantasy and the Duty of Dissent	101	(22)
The Cost of U.S. Unpopularity	123	(12)
Public Diplomacy and the Limits of Persuasiveness	135	(20)
Diplomats and Journalists	155	(12)
Democratizing an Oligarchic Planet	167	(24)
Counterterrorism Lessons from Revolutionary Organization 17 November	191	(26)
The Domestic Politics of Nuclear Weapons	217	(22)
The Diplomatic Cost of Clandestine Intelligence	239	(14)
Diplomatic Skepticism and the Lessons of Iraq	253	(18)
A Look Toward the Future	271	(8)
Appendix A: My Letter of Resignation	279	(4)
Appendix B: The State Department Responds	283	(4)
Notes	287	(20)
Index	307	(10)
About the Author	317