The Foreign Service Journal, November 2007

The Ambassador: Inside the Life of a Working Diplomat John Shaw, Capital Books Inc., 2007, $25.00, paperback, 188 pages. Profiling the life and work of one of the world’s most accom- plished diplomats — Sweden’s former ambassador to the U.S., Jan Eliasson— this provocative book offers an insider’s view of how modern diplomacy shapes global political debate and affects the outcome of major world events. John Shaw “opens the embassy doors to show the life of a working diplomat,” writes Sandra Day O’Connor in the foreword. “And he shows a genuine picture of that life, rich with details about its scope and nature. Along the way, the reader gets to know one of the most impressive ambassadors to serve in Washington, D.C.” Amb. Eliasson provided Shaw, a Washington Diplomat reporter, with up-close access to his work. For two years, Shaw attended policy meetings with the ambassador, watched him give speeches and interact with other senior diplomats. The result is an engaging read, relevant and important for students of interna- tional relations. Failed Diplomacy: The Tragic Story of How North Korea Got the Bomb Charles L. Pritchard, Brookings Institution Press, 2007, $26.95, hardback, 228 pages. North Korea’s development of nuclear weapons raised fears of nuclear war on the peninsula and pre- sented the disturbing possibility of terrorists gaining access to weapons of mass destruction. What went wrong? How was this isolated nation, a charter mem- ber of the axis of evil, allowed to develop nuclear weapons? Charles Pritchard, who was intimately involved in developing North Korea policy under the Clinton and Bush administrations, presents an authoritative analy- sis of recent events on the Korean Peninsula. He assesses the Six-Party Talks and reveals how the Bush administration’s mistakes damaged the prospects of controlling nuclear proliferation. A stinging critique, the book also suggests what can be learned from missed opportunities. Charles Pritchard is president of the Korean Economic Institute. He has served as U.S. ambassador to, and special envoy for negotiations with, the Demo- cratic People’s Republic of Korea. Dealing with Dictators: Dilemmas Edited by Ernest R. May and Philip D. Zelikow, The MIT Press, 2007, $27.00, paperback, 243 pages. While the U.S. has proclaimed its support of democracy and opposition to tyranny, American presi- dents have often sustained dictators who have allied themselves with the United States. This book explores the chronic dilemmas central to U.S. dealings with dic- tators under conditions of moral ambiguity. Offering in-depth analysis of six cases, Dealing with Dictators examines: the U.S. and China, 1945-1948; U.N. intervention in the Congo, 1960-1965; the over- throw of the shah of Iran; U.S. relations with the Somoza regime in Nicaragua; the fall of Marcos in the Philippines; and U.S. policy toward Iraq, 1988-1990. Rather than focusing on whether decisionmakers were “right” or “wrong,” each chapter seeks to deepen our understanding of the uncertainty that permeates the interaction of intelligence analysis and policymaking. Ernest R. May is the Charles Warren Professor of American History at Harvard University. Philip D. Zelikow served as counselor at the Department of State from 2005 to 2007. Council UNBound Michael J. Matheson, United States Institute of Peace Press, 2006, $19.95, paperback, 422 pages. Michael Matheson exam- ines the United Nations Secur- ity Council’s expansive exercise of legal authority since the end of the Cold War, and its devel- opment of bold and innovative methods to stop nascent wars and threats to international security. He surveys the many roles assumed by the council in post-conflict situations — from rebuilding wartorn countries and reintegrating nations back into the world community to 32 F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L / N O V E M B E R 2 0 0 7 OF RELATED INTEREST