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A behind the scenes look at 50 years of US diplomacy.From Vietnam in the 1960s to Afghanistan in this decade, James Dobbins was on the frontlines of American diplomacy and worked to advance U.S. national interests in some of the world's most difficult and troubled arenas.InForeign Service, Dobbins takes the reader behind the scenes at the Vietnam peace talks, the darkest days of the Cold War, the reunification of Germany, the collapse of the Soviet Union, and the U.S. military interventions in Afghanistan, Bosnia, Haiti, Kosovo, and Somalia. He provides a thoughtful insider's account of all these ventures, analyzes the sources of both success and failure, and provides incisive portraits of many of the chief actors.Presidents Clinton, Bush, and Obama turned repeatedly to Dobbins as a diplomatic trouble-shooter with the right instincts and experience to help find solutions for seemingly irresolvable problems.Foreign Servicevividly captures why they did

Albania -- Sierra Leone -- Macedonia -- Côte d'Ivoire -- Democratic Republic of the Congo -- Bosnia -- Solomon Islands -- Comparative analysis -- Conclusions

The first insider's account of the Bush administration's post-9/11 diplomacy.

This guidebook is designed as a contribution to future nation-building efforts. It is organized around the components that make up any nation-building mission: planning, military and police contingents, civil administrators, humanitarian and relief efforts, governance, economic stabilization, democratization, and infrastructure development

In Iraq, the United States is facing its most challenging nation-building project since the 1940s. The authors draw lessons from seven case studies--Germany, Japan, Somalia, Haiti, Bosnia, Kosovo, and Afghanistan--then apply these to the Iraq case. The results suggest that nation-building will be difficult but possible. Success will, however, require investing sufficient financial, military, and political resources--and time

China could become the most powerful adversary the United States has ever faced. How might a war with China begin, how might it proceed, how might it end, and how might it be prevented? (Survival / SWP)

The West has focused on how to prevent Tehran from acquiring nuclear weapons, or what to do after it does. What we lack is a framework for dealing with Iran before, while and after it crosses the threshold. (Survival / SWP)

It is unlikely that American officials will again face decisions exactly like those required of the Coalition Provisional Authority in spring 2003. Formal occupations had largely fallen out of favour by the second half of the twentieth century, and the CPA experience is not likely to be replicated. But it is certain that the international community will again find itself assisting societies emerging from conflict to build an enduring peace and establish a representative government. Learning how to best prepare for such a challenge is the key to more-successful future operations. In this regard, the occupation of Iraq provides an object lesson of the costs and consequences of attempting nation building without adequate preparation. (Survival / SWP)