"Diplomacy Lessons is a riveting account of American diplomacy at the end of the twentieth and beginning of the twenty-first century. John Brady Kiesling’s stimulating and inspirational observations are an important contribution to the history of our times."—Amb. Joseph Wilson, former ambassador under Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and author of The Politics of Truth "A tour ... Read morede force! John Brady Kiesling believes deeply in diplomacy but exposes all the bureaucratic warts that hobble its effectiveness. His resignation from the Foreign Service due to his conviction that the impending war with Iraq would prove disastrous for our nation has liberated him to write this catalog of wise lessons for both our political leaders and our diplomats."—Amb. Samuel W. Lewis, former U.S. ambassador to Israel and former president of the United States Institute of Peace "Diplomacy Lessons is at once a compelling insider’s account of life as an American diplomat and a trenchant analysis of how and why U.S. foreign policy has veered so seriously off course."—Charles A. Kupchan, professor of international relations at Georgetown University, senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, and author of The End of the American Era "When the prospect of an American invasion of Iraq loomed, John Brady Kiesling chose to resign from his post at the U.S. Embassy in Athens, and this brilliant work on contemporary diplomacy explains why this action was the only answer for him. I am sure this thoughtful, articulate, and clearly competent diplomat would have risen to diplomacy’s highest levels, and I mourn his loss, one of the many costs of this unnecessary and faultily justified war. In Kiesling, we may have a new George Kennan."—Amb. Ronald I. Spiers, former ambassador to Turkey and Pakistan and former Under Secretary General of the United Nations for Political Affairs "This book, written by an exceptionally courageous foreign service officer who resigned in protest against the war in Iraq, should be required reading by all students and practitioners of foreign policy. With a wealth of examples, in a clear and pungent style, Kiesling not only shows the damage done to America's standing in the world by George W. Bush's administration, but suggests sound and enlightened policies that would blend American idealism with what has been so grievously missing in recent years: lucid awareness of the realities and obstacles in the rest of the world."—Stanley Hoffmann, Buttenwieser University Professor, Harvard University "This powerfully written analysis of the U.S. role as the only superpower left on the planet will keep an intelligent seeker of political reality awake and alert long after bedtime. . . . Diplomacy Lessons is angry without being cynical; it shows passionate commitment to the common good and to those who work for understanding. It provides constructive remedies as well as critique of an 'unloved superpower,' and so demonstrates that idealism and realism are not incompatible but essential partners in a healthy world. At the end of the day it is most an act of hopeful citizenship, one that will inspire readers to understand their world in a new way."—ForeWord Show Less