The Foreign Service Journal, April 2010

accomplished what Ayatollah Khome- ini was unable to do in eight years of war with SaddamHussein (1980-1988). Given that history, and the dangers of unintended consequences, it is diffi- cult to fathom how a consummate “re- alist,” who rightly opposed regime change in one country (Iraq), can now ardently promote it in another. During a 39-year career, now-retired Senior Foreign Service officer Stephen Buck served at eight posts in the Arab world, including as deputy chief of mis- sion in Baghdad during the Iran-Iraq War. He consults and lectures fre- quently on the Middle East and has served on the Foreign Service Journal Editorial Board since 2003. “And in the Darkness Bind Them” Five to Rule Them All David L. Bosco, Oxford University Press, 2009, $24.95, hardcover, 320 pages. R EVIEWED BY D AVID C ASAVIS Most FSJ readers are at least gener- ally familiar with the history of the United Nations, and are aware that the Security Council has increasingly come to dominate the institution. But there have been surprisingly few organiza- tional histories of the body. Fortunately, author David Bosco, an assistant professor of international pol- itics at American University, is well- placed to fill the gap. In addition to a stint as senior editor at Foreign Policy , he served as deputy director of a joint United Nations/NATO project to repa- triate refugees in Sarajevo, and also worked in Bosnia and Herzegovina as a political analyst and journalist. His book takes us behind the scenes of a stage where American idealismhas been repeatedly dashed by Russian and Chinese vetoes and consistent interna- tional criticism— largely coming from dictators and despots who were them- selves threats to collective security. Not surprisingly, disillusionment about the body set in soon after its 1945 creation, and Bosco treats us to colorful quotes full of exasperation. For instance, for- mer U.N. Secretary-General Dag Hammarskjold memorably observed that the organization was designed “not to bring humanity to heaven, but to save it from hell.” The central theme of the book — and its main contribution to the litera- ture— is the role of the Security Coun- cil in managing the postwar world. Bosco views the Council’s ability to unite to pressure smaller member-states as the key to conflict resolution, and makes an effective case that the firm hands of the five permanent members of the Security Council deserve more credit than they generally receive. Yet it is hard to deny that the Council’s trans- formation into an elite club — one to which nonpermanent members strive mightily to gain admittance, and resent their exclusion — is more reminiscent of the classic diplomacy of Metternich and Bismarck than of the idealistic (if Bosco makes an effective case for Security Council dominance of the United Nations. 64 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / A P R I L 2 0 1 0 B O O K S WWW.FSJOURNAL.ORG When contacting an advertiser, kindly mention the Foreign Service Journal. Click on the Marketplace tab on the marquee AFSA Legacy www.afsa.org AKA stay-aka.com Arlington Court Suites Hotel arlingtoncourthotel.com Clements International clements.com Cort Furniture cort1.com Diplomatic Auto. Sales diplosales.com Fox Hill foxhillseniorcondominium.com Georgetown Suites sales@georgetownsuites.com Hirshorn Company, The hirshorn.com ProMax promaxrealtors.com SDFCU sdfcu.org Strategic Studies Quarterly au.af.mil/au/ssq Tetra Tech tetratech.com United States Institute of Peace Press bookstore.usip.org WJD wjdpm.com