The Foreign Service Journal, November 2018

40 NOVEMBER 2018 | THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL U.S. Counterterrorism: From Nixon to Trump— Key Challenges, Issues and Responses Michael B. Kraft and Edward Marks, CRC Press, 2017, $69.95/ hardback, $55.96/Kindle, 240 pages. In the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks, President George W. Bush treated terrorism as an existential threat, declaring a global war on it. Barack Obama’s administration both kept up and modified those policies, and Donald Trump has continued that process. This book traces the evolution of U.S. counterterrorism policy over the past half-century as the threat shifted from pri- marily secular groups to those with far-reaching fundamentalist religious goals, such as ISIS. Within that framework, the authors highlight the accelerating impact of the internet, cyber threats and armed drones, among other factors, and include an exten- sive list of key documents for those interested in the original texts and a discussion of legal issues. Michael B. Kraft is a Washington-based counterterrorism consultant, writer and editor with more than 30 years of experi- ence working on terrorism issues in the State Department, Con- gress and the private sector. After retiring as a senior adviser in the State Department Counterterrorism Bureau, he worked on those issues at the National Defense University’s Africa Center for Strategic Studies. Edward Marks spent 40 years in the U.S. Foreign Service, including an assignment as ambassador to Guinea-Bissau and Cabo Verde, before retiring as a Senior FSO (Minister-Coun- selor) in 1995. A frequent contributor to The Foreign Service Journal and other periodicals, Ambassador Marks writes, speaks and consults widely, mostly with the Department of Defense. An Introduction to Modern Arab Culture Bassam Frangieh, Cognella Academic Publishing, 2019, $85.95/hardcover, $77.95/e-Book, 434 pages. Over the course of 13 chapters, readers of An Introduction to Modern Arab Culture will learn about the emergence and influence of Islam in Arab culture, religious and ethnic minorities within the Arab world, the critical role of family in Arab life, and the origin and evolution of the Arabic language. Author Bassam Frangieh introduces readers to these aspects of Arab culture while demonstrating how they intertwine to create a unique tapestry of identity, experience and history. The book is well- suited to courses in Middle East culture and history, politics, thought, literature, religion and language, and courses in sociol- ogy, anthropology and cultural studies. Bassam Frangieh, the spouse of retired FSO Alita Wenger, is a professor of Arabic at Claremont McKenna College and a scholar of contemporary Arabic literature and culture. He previously taught at Georgetown University and Yale University. He is the author of Anthology of Arabic Literature, Culture, and Thought from Pre-Islamic Times to the Present and Arabic for Life (both published by Yale University Press), and his translated books include Love, Death, and Exile , a volume of poetry from the works of the renowned Iraqi poet Abdul Wahab Al-Bayati. Kissinger the Negotiator: Lessons from Dealmaking at the Highest Level James K. Sebenius, R. Nicholas Burns and Robert H. Mnookin, HarperCollins, 2018, $28.99/ hardcover, $14.99/e-Book, 411 pages. Politicians, world leaders and busi- ness executives around the world have sought the counsel of Henry Kissinger, National Security Advisor (1969-1975) and Secretary of State (1973-1977) under Presidents Richard M. Nixon and Gerald Ford. His unprecedented achievements as a negotiator have been both universally acknowledged and fiercely debated. In this book, three Harvard professors, all experienced nego- tiators themselves, offer a comprehensive examination of Henry Kissinger’s “process”—his overall approach to making deals and resolving conflicts—on the basis of in-depth interviews with Kissinger himself, an extensive study of his record and many independent sources. The result is a primer on effective negoti- ating, a guide to reaching agreements in challenging situations. Kissinger, who blessed the book with a foreword, “appears in this account as a quick learner, a bold strategist and a relentless pursuer,” states Jeremi Suri, professor at the University of Texas at Austin, in his Aug. 2 New York Times review. Kissinger the Negotiator is a straightforward examination of Kissinger’s finely honed skills in statecraft that offers keen