The Foreign Service Journal, April 2016

58 APRIL 2016 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL AFSA NEWS Learning from Diplomatic Successes AFSA BOOK NOTES On Feb. 18, Ambassador Robert Hutchings kicked off the American Foreign Service Association’s 2016 Book Notes series with a talk on his new book, Foreign Policy Breakthroughs: Cases in Successful Diplomacy. The event was moder- ated by Ambassador Bar- bara Bodine, Distinguished Professor of the Practice of Diplomacy and director of the Institute for Diplomatic Studies at Georgetown University. Co-edited with Dr. Jeremi Suri, Foreign Policy Break- throughs features nine case studies in successful diplo- macy from both the United States and abroad. These include post-World War II relief, the evolution of the non-aligned move- ment, the 1972 Nixon visit to China, the North American Free Trade Agreement, the Camp David Accords, the reunification of Germany, the establishment of the European Union and pre- 2001 relief aid to Afghani- stan. During his talk, Amb. Hutchings highlighted the book’s 10 key lessons in diplomacy. For instance, he cited the recent nuclear deal with Iran as an example of the first lesson: success fol- lows failure. Even though early phases of the negotiation were unsuccessful, the exercise allowed diplomats to learn more about Iran’s negotia- tion style and what it consid- ered to be its most signifi- cant national interests. In another illustration, Hutchings described Presi- dent Richard Nixon’s 1972 visit to China as an example of how the conduct of diplo- macy sometimes requires a careful mix of secrecy and openness. Without discretion early in the process, Nixon would have faced huge opposi- tion on Capitol Hill, and consequently, may not have restored diplomatic rela- tions with China. In response to a ques- tion from Amb. Bodine on how to best deal with other governments whose policies we disagree with, Hutchings stressed the importance of having diplomats on the ground in every nation, despite our differences. The United States is still paying, he argued, for not securing diplomatic relations with Iran many years ago. The event concluded with a Q&A session during which both ambassadors shared lessons learned from their careers. Anyone with an interest in diplomacy as a profes- sion, including members Ambassador Robert Hutchings responds to questions on his new book, Foreign Policy Breakthroughs, at the AFSA Book Notes event. AFSA/ALLANSAUNDERS of the Foreign Service, as well as university and high school students aspiring to a career in the field, will find value in the pages of Foreign Policy Breakthroughs . Visit www.afsa.org/video to view a recording of this event. For a review of the book by Amb. Bodine, see the December 2015 Foreign Service Journal . n —Briar Blount, Communications Intern