The Foreign Service Journal, November 2009

30 years, including as ambassador to Sri Lanka and deputy assistant secretary of state for South Asia. Since 1998 she has directed the South Asia Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The Iranian Nuclear Crisis: Avoiding Worst-Case Outcomes Mark Fitzpatrick, Routledge for the International Institute for Strategic Studies, 2008, $16, paperback, 99 pages. In this analysis of Iran’s nuclear program, Mark Fitzpatrick probes its relatively rapid development and offers suggestions of how to avoid the two worst- case outcomes: an Iran with an atomic bomb and a bombed Iran. Fitzpatrick reviews Western strategy over the years aimed at denying Tehran nuclear weapons and wonders whether or not Iran can, in fact, be kept non- weaponized. The “denial of supply” approach has been ineffective in halting progress toward a nuclear weapons capability. However, offering a fallback option that le- gitimizes enrichment in Iran is not the answer, Fitz- patrick concludes. Containment and deterrence, he argues, are two possible strategies that may prove crit- ical in influencing Iran to stop short of building weapons. The author states: “A dual policy of engagement and sanctions, with containment strategies targeted at lim- iting Iranian access to sensitive technologies and ma- terials, is still the best way to test possibilities for Iranian cooperation while maintaining vigilance and controls to limit the nuclear-proliferation threat. If en- gagement fails, the sanctions strategy maintains a basis for long-term containment.” Mark Fitzpatrick, a retired FSO, is a senior fellow for nonproliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies and director of its Nonproliferation and Disarmanent Program. His 26-year diplomatic ca- reer included a stint as deputy assistant secretary for nonproliferation. The Limits of Influence: America’s Role in Kashmir Howard B. Schaffer, Brookings Institution Press, 2009, $34.95, hardcover, 260 pages. Kashmir may have fallen out of popular media at- tention over the past few years, but it remains a diplo- matic hot spot. A confusing issue and one that bristles with tension and periodic threats of nuclear retaliation, Kashmir is a chronic foreign policy challenge for America. An issue created by the British partition of the Indian subconti- nent in 1947, the Kashmir im- broglio has engaged successive administrations in Washington for three generations. Despite differ- ent levels and approaches to en- gagement, no resolution has been reached, either by the two powers themselves or brokered by the international community. Not even the acquisition of nuclear weapons by Pakistan, turning the issue into a possible two-way nuclear conflict, was able to motivate either side to accept a comprehensive peace settlement. For- tunately, as Ambassador Howard Schaffer suggests in this book, the Obama administration may be well placed to explore new initiatives. In his penetrating policy study, Amb. Schaffer cites new research and applies a wealth of insight based on his own experience in the area to present a comprehen- sive history of U.S. efforts to resolve the Kashmir dispute. In a concluding chapter, he outlines fresh approaches to the problem. The book is part of the ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy Series. Howard B. Schaffer served in the Foreign Service for 36 years, concluding his career with an ambassadorial post in Bangladesh. Amb. Schaffer is the director of studies at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy at Georgetown University’s Walsh School of Foreign Serv- ice and the author of two previous works, Chester Bowles: New Dealer in the Cold War (Harvard Univer- sity Press, 1993) and Ellsworth Bunker: Global Trou- bleshooter, Vietnam Hawk (Chapel Hill, 2003). Negotiating With Iran: Wrestling the Ghosts of History John W. Limbert, United States Institute of Peace Press, 2009, $40, hardcover, 200 pages. “A must-read for anyone who hopes for (or fears) an American re-engagement with Iran. Su- perb diplomatic history focused on lessons learned rather than festering grievances,” says Richard W. Buliet of Columbia University of Negotiat- ing with Iran: Wrestling the Ghosts of History. “Lim- bert is one of our few genuine Iran experts.” This book is most timely. The Obama administra- tion may be tentatively reaching out to Tehran, but 24 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 9