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Richard C. Holbrooke, former Assistant Secretary of State and chief negotiator behind the 1995 Dayton Peace Agreement, which ended the war in Bosnia. Holbrooke addresses contemporary and humanitarian issues and provides insights as to why these issues are important to people everywhere. Acclaimed by The New York Times as a "master of impossible missions," Holbrooke became known as the world's premier negotiator by arranging an unprecedented multiparty agreement, bringing the United States back into good standing with the United Nations. At the same time, he persuaded U.N. members to reduce the United States' share of dues and assessments, convinced Congress to release $582 billion in unpaid U.N. assessments, and enlisted the aid of media mogul Ted Turner to pay the balance of those dues. For his work on the Dayton accords, Holbrooke received five Nobel Peace Prize nominations. His best-selling account of the negotiations, "To End a War," was named one of the 10 best books of 1998 by The New York Times. Holbrooke began his foreign service career after graduating from Brown University in 1962. He served on the Vietnam staff of President Lyndon Johnson and as Peace Corps director in Morocco. President Jimmy Carter appointed him assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs in 1977, and President Clinton named him to that same office for European and Canadian affairs, making Holbrooke the only person ever to hold assistant secretary of state posts in two regions. Holbrooke has served as vice chairman of CS First Boston and as managing director of Lehman Brothers.

Theodros Dagne is associate editor of Mediterranean Quarterly and an analyst with the Congressional Research Service.