The Foreign Service Journal, November 2006

Here is the first insider account from a senior figure on the scene in Iraq after the fall of Baghdad. Ambassador L. Paul “Jerry” Bremer was named presi- dential envoy to Iraq on May 6, 2003. As the administrator of the Coalition Provisional Authority, he led reconstruction and stabi- lization efforts until June 28, 2004, when he handed over power to the new interim Iraqi government. “This book is an important compo- nent of the history of this war, though critics will find it self-serving,” writes retired FSO Dave Dunford in his review of the book for the April 2006 issue of the FSJ . “But there should be no doubt that Jerry Bremer took on one of the toughest tasks ever given to a U.S. diplomat and handled it with skill, discipline and grace.” Amb. Bremer had a 23-year career in the Foreign Service. During the 1980s he served as ambassador to the Netherlands and ambassador at large for counter- terrorism, among other positions. Following retire- ment, he became managing director of Kissinger Associates, and also served as chairman of the biparti- san National Commission on Terrorism (1999-2000). Malcolm McConnell is a former Foreign Service offi- cer and the author of numerous books; he most recently collaborated with General Tommy Franks on his memoir, American Soldier (HarperCollins, 2005). The Last Battle of the Cold War: An Inside Account of Negotiating the INF Treaty Maynard W. Glitman, Palgrave MacMillan, 2006, $69.95, hardcover, 272 pages. This volume is an important contribution to our under- standing of the causes and implications of the end of the Cold War by a key actor in the drama. The Soviet effort to intimidate Europe with modern intermediate nuclear forces required a sophisticated alliance response. Negotiating a treaty eliminating these systems and securing its ratification N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 63