82 SEPTEMBER 2023 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL coexistence among nations and peoples over fiery speeches and twisted ideologies rooted in spurious dreams of national or racial separation. There are useful lessons there. The Absolutely Indispensable Man focuses not so much on the life as the diplomatic career of Ralph Bunche, and mostly on the 25-year span he spent working on or at the U.N.—from its birth in San Francisco in 1947 until Bunche’s own death in 1971. Midwife to newly sovereign states during the early heyday of decolonization and founding father of U.N. peacekeeping as conflicts within these new states multiplied, Bunche had all the right qualifications and just the right temperament for the job. Even critics of U.N. fecklessness in times of Security Council gridlock can applaud his success in those spheres where multilateral action was the best, and perhaps the only, way forward. Since excellence often has an intangible quality, I found myself wondering about the ingredients in Bunche’s diplomatic secret sauce. Raustiala himself has difficulty reducing it to words, often borrowing from others: Bunche was an “idealistic realist,” a “pragmatic problemsolver,” “the absolutely indispensable man.” No doubt Bunche possessed a keen intelligence, real personal charm, and a work ethic that never quit. He combined deep academic learning on timely questions—the governance structures of “non-self-governing” territories before World War II being one— with the practitioner’s feel for the mood of the moment and what might actually be done. He was a lightning quick drafter, with a gift for capturing the nub of an issue succinctly with just the right frame. He was powered by an unflagging optimism, that welcome “force multiplier” (as the late Secretary of State Colin Powell used to say). Everybody wanted to work with him, and nobody wanted to let him go. Importantly, he was blessed by the gift of good luck. Two of his Swedish bosses— Count Folke Bernadotte in Palestine and Dag Hammarskjöld in Congo—were killed in tragic circumstances that, had things gone only slightly differently, could easily have claimed him. Most of all, Bunche had the core diplomatic skill of supremely sound judgment in spades: the ability to read people, understand situations, and (if it were possible at all) get stuff done. People knew that Bunche’s assessment—and recommendation—was worth taking to the bank. To the end, Bunche believed not just in the U.N. but in the American project, notwithstanding its faults and shortcomings. His demand was simple: He wanted “to be an American”—to live fully at home in his own country judged by his abilities, his accomplishments, and the content of his character but by no other separate criteria or thing. All Americans, and particularly American diplomats, should better understand the scope of Ralph Bunche’s accomplishments while appreciating the still-unrealized nature of his aspiration. Reading this book is a good place to start. Alexis Ludwig was a Foreign Service officer from January 1994 to September 2023, with tours in East Asia, Latin America, and Washington, D.C. He chaired the FSJ Editorial Board from 2018 to 2023. Considering Military Diplomacy Boots and Suits: Historical Cases and Contemporary Lessons in Military Diplomacy Edited by Ambassador (ret.) Philip Kosnett, Marine Corps University Press, 2023, PDF and ebook available for download at https://bit.ly/BootsandSuits, 440 pages. Reviewed by Robin Holzhauer Boots and Suits offers valuable insights for military personnel, policymakers, students, and researchers interested in the military’s evolving role in diplomacy. Edited by Ambassador (ret.) Philip Kosnett, the book includes contributions by nearly 25 authors—diplomats, scholars, and servicemembers alike—covering three general areas: historical case studies, contemporary challenges, and U.S. interagency cooperation in global contexts. Although this edited volume has the trappings of an academic publication, which can make it seem daunting (footnotes, explanations, jargon), readers who do not let that deter them will find interesting examples and insights into the many facets of military diplomacy. A hurdle to the book’s goal of explaining and examining the uses of military diplomacy, however, is the lack of an agreed-upon definition of “military diplomacy” both within its pages and in society. Even though one chapter makes a case for what the definition should be (which the authors presented to the Netherlands’ Ministry of Defence to use) and how the term differs from security diplomacy and defense diplomacy, it is clear there is not a one-size-fits-all definition. Reflecting the authors’ diverse perspectives and backgrounds, the essays discuss military diplomacy in terms ranging from military sales and training
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