The Foreign Service Journal, April 2017

62 APRIL 2017 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL it is accurate to argue that U.S. inepti- tude has made everything more difficult, with or without the United States it was going to be a long, difficult transition into the modern world for the countries of the Middle East. For it is a transition destined to be uneven, unsteady and fraught with violence and deprivation. It is also important to note that the results of whatever mistakes we have made in the past will be compounded if we don’t stay involved in the Middle East on a corrected course. Freeman also makes the case for strengthening the instruments of U.S. diplomacy, some of which are out of our hands given the “constant turnover of inexperienced amateur civilian policy- makers, placed in office by the spoils system in a highly militarized civilian political culture.” But surely, as Freeman argues, some improvements could be made, even within the existing system and resources, such as correcting the fact that American diplomacy is “missing in action when it is most needed—as the fighting ends.” The ups and downs of our reconstruction and stabilization capacity point to a persistent avoidance of truly taking on this mission. Freeman cites a failure to profes- sionalize diplomacy as one reason we contribute so little to the task, contrast- ing our profession with the “superbly professional leadership of the U.S. Armed Forces.” Again he gives few specifics, but judging from the number of times we jump over the entire Service and bring a retired diplomat in to lead a critical mission—something that would be unthinkable in the military—it is hard to argue that there isn’t room for taking a more systematic approach to develop- ing leaders, rather than the wholly ad hoc system we currently have. In the end, America’s Continuing Mis- adventures in the Middle East is a very good and thought-provoking read, not to be missed by any who are serious about considering the full range of views and opinions on this critical region. FSO Keith W. Mines is currently an Inter- agency Professional in Residence at the U.S. Institute of Peace, working on Middle East peace and federalism in failed and fragile states. He has served in Europe, the Western Hemisphere and the Middle East in a vari- ety of military and Foreign Service assign- ments. He may be the last true believer in the imperative of nation-building as a key undertaking in facing today’s challenges. Exploring the History- Policy Nexus The Power of the Past: History and Statecraft Hal Brands and Jeremi Suri, eds., Brook- ings Institution Press, 2016, $32/paper- back, $17.27/Kindle, 326 pages. Reviewed By Todd Kushner Policymakers instinctually search for historical lessons that they can use to guide their statecraft. Secretary of State Alexander Haig, for example, once remarked that “inter- national conflicts attract historical analogies the way honey attracts bears.” President Barack Obama famously absorbed the lessons of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals before choos- ing his Cabinet. And President George W. Bush tackled an extensive reading list of histories and biographies. Similarly, Foreign Service employ- ees prepare themselves for a new post by steeping themselves in the history