Diplomacy Books
WW Norton & Co White House Warriors: How the National Security
Book SynopsisSince its founding more than seventy years ago, the National Security Council has exerted more influence on the president’s foreign policy decisions—and on the nation’s conflicts abroad—than any other institution or individual. And yet, until the explosive Trump presidency, few Americans could even name a member. “A must-read for anyone interested in how Washington really works” (Ivo H. Daalder), White House Warriors finally reveals how the NSC evolved from a handful of administrative clerks to, as one recent commander-in-chief called them, the president’s “personal band of warriors.” When Congress originally created the National Security Council in 1947, it was intended to better coordinate foreign policy after World War II. Nearly an afterthought, a small administrative staff was established to help keep its papers moving. President Kennedy was, as John Gans documents, the first to make what became known as the NSC staff his own, selectively hiring bright young aides to do his bidding during the disastrous Bay of Pigs operation, the fraught Cuban Missile Crisis, and the deepening Vietnam War. Despite Kennedy’s death and the tragic outcome of some of his decision, the NSC staff endured. President Richard Nixon handed the staff’s reigns solely to Henry Kissinger, who, given his controlling instincts, micromanaged its work on Vietnam. In the 1980s, President Ronald Reagan’s NSC was cast into turmoil by overreaching staff members who, led by Oliver North, nearly brought down a presidency in the Iran-Contra scandal. Later, when President George W. Bush’s administration was bitterly divided by the Iraq War, his NSC staff stepped forward to write a plan for the Surge in Iraq. Juxtaposing extensive archival research with new interviews, Gans demonstrates that knowing the NSC staff’s history and its war stories is the only way to truly understand American foreign policy. As this essential account builds to the swift removals of advisors General Michael Flynn and Steve Bannon in 2017, we see the staff’s influence in President Donald Trump’s still chaotic administration and come to understand the role it might play in its aftermath. A revelatory history written with riveting DC insider detail, White House Warriors traces the path that has led us to an era of American aggression abroad, debilitating fights within the government, and whispers about a deep state conspiring against the public.Trade Review"This forceful historical account is a much-needed published assessment, given that NSC members are generally not known to the public. . . . This book is essential reading for all interested in politics, government, and contemporary history." -- Booklist [starred review]"This is an especially lucid account of how Washington came to deal with the rest of the world, full of lively anecdotes that make the book not just good history but a good read. John Gans is one of the most knowledgeable experts we have on the National Security Council staff, how it works, and how it doesn’t. He's studied foreign policy both as a scholar and a public official, and the lessons he learned have gone into this book." -- James Mann, author of Rise of the Vulcans and The Obamians"Serving at the pleasure of the president is a one-of-a-kind experience. With keen insights, deep research, and just the right amount of empathy, John Gans takes us inside the long and sometimes crisis-filled days of some of the lucky few who have worked in the White House. Readers will come away better informed about the successes and setbacks not just of the public servants so adroitly profiled here but the United States itself." -- Alyssa Mastromonaco, former White House Deputy Chief of Staff, New York Times bestselling author, and co-host of the Hysteria podcast"In the White House briefing room, I was often asked about the power of the National Security Council. John Gans was one of my best sources to help explain the ways this unique and elusive institution has served the American president, including the one I worked for. In White House Warriors, Gans proves as good a guide for readers as he was for me, taking all of us inside the staff's daily work as well as the debates and decisions that continue to transform America's relationship with the world." -- Josh Earnest, former White House Press Secretary"When it comes to US national security policy, some of the most powerful and consequential people in Washington are also the least well known. John Gans shines a bright light on these National Security Council staffers and shows how they have influenced presidential decisions on war for decades. White House Warriors is must-read for anyone interested in how Washington really works." -- Ivo H. Daalder, former US Ambassador to NATO and coauthor of In the Shadow of the Oval Office"In the tradition of David Halberstam, John Gans Jr. has provided an essential account of one of Washington's most consequential, but also most misunderstood, working parts." -- Graeme Wood, author of The Way of the Strangers: Encounters with the Islamic State"This insightful and compelling book helps make sense of how the White House’s powerful National Security Council staff works and also why it often doesn’t—sometimes helping presidents make sound foreign policy, but all too frequently getting the policy wrong with terrible human consequences. Richly detailed from interviews with White House staffers, the book disproves Donald Trump’s feverish claims of a ‘deep state’ out to undermine the presidency." -- Gary J. Bass, author of The Blood Telegram: Nixon, Kissinger, and a Forgotten Genocide"In White House Warriors, John Gans superbly describes how the National Security Council (NSC) — the most secretive and powerful institution in the country — shapes America’s role in the world, particularly during periods of conflict. The NSC, part star chamber, part gladiator arena, and part Game of Thrones drama is expertly revealed to us in the pages of Gans’ primer on Washington power." -- Dr. Kurt M. Campbell, Asia Group, LLC and former Obama Administration Assistant Secretary of State for Asia and the Pacific"John Gans shows us how the staff of the National Security Council has gradually accumulated or been given extraordinary influence over American national security policy. Sharply critical of this development, the author understands and even admires the people whom he believes have, less through ambition than the abdication of others, inadvertently undermined democratic governance. Controversial, compellingly written, and above all an essential read for anyone who wants to know not only why the United States goes to war, but how." -- Eliot Cohen, professor at The Johns Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies and author of Supreme Command
£21.84
Georgetown University Press Japan and the Emotional Politics of National Image
£108.00
University of Arkansas Press The Arrogance of Power
Book Synopsis“Fulbright was erudite and eloquent in all the books he wrote, but this one is his masterpiece. Within its pages lie his now historic remonstrations against a great nation’s overreach, his powerful argument for dissent, and his thoughtful propositions for a new way forward . . . lessons and cautions that resonate just as strongly today.” — From the foreword by Bill ClintonJ. William Fulbright (1905–1995), a Rhodes scholar and lawyer, began his long career in public service when he was elected to serve Arkansas's Third District in Congress in 1942. He quickly became a prominent member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he introduced the Fulbright Resolution calling for participation in an organization that became the United Nations. Elected to the Senate in 1944, he promoted the passage of legislation establishing the Fulbright exchange program, and he served as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee from 1959 to 1974, longer than any senator in American history.Fulbright drew on his extensive experience in international relations to write The Arrogance of Power, a sweeping critique of American foreign policy, in particular the justification for the Vietnam War, Congress's failure to set limits on it, and the impulses that gave rise to it. The book—with its solid underpinning the idea that “the most valuable public servant, like the true patriot, is one who gives a higher loyalty to his country's ideals than to its current policy”—was published in 1966 and sold 400,000 copies. The New York Times called it “an invaluable antidote to the official rhetoric of government.”Enhanced by a new forward by President Bill Clinton, this eloquent treatise will resonate with today's readers pondering, as Francis O. Wilcox wrote in the original preface, the peril of nations whose leaders lack ""the wisdom and the good judgment to use their power wisely and well.
£44.25
Fonthill Media Ltd Kowtow: Georgian Britain, Imperial China and the
Book SynopsisIn 1793, George Macartney introduced two of the leading empires of his age, and set off one of the greatest power shifts in history. ‘Kowtow: Georgian Britain, Imperial China and the Irishman who Introduced Them’ tells the story of Macartney, Britain's first Ambassador to China, and his career that spanned the globe, from the Caribbean to India, from Brazil to Indonesia, and then finally through China to Peking. Kowtow explains why Macartney’s embassy was needed, and examines the nature and personalities of the Ambassador and his imperial host, the Emperor Qianlong. The reader will journey with Macartney across the world into Peking’s Summer Palace, before crossing over the Great Wall to Qianlong’s summer hunting grounds in Rehe. The story of the Macartney mission provides significant lessons for modern diplomatic engagements and trade relations, and still causes great reverberations today. As a result, his mission represents one of the major missed opportunities in history and the challenges faced by Macartney still finds echoes in relations between China and the West.Table of ContentsIntroduction, Learning to Kowtow; 1 ‘It Must Not be Difficult to Impress the Chinese’ The Need for a British Embassy to the Court of Qianlong ; 2 ‘Who in the World is this Young Man, Who Knows So Much About So Many Things?’ George Macartney, Ambassador of King George III to the Emperor Qianlong; 3 ‘Affable and Affectionate to His Subjects, Vindictive and Relentless to His Enemies’ Qianlong, Son of Heaven, Emperor of China; 4 ‘The Severest Sufferings Both in Body and Mind’ Setting Sail for China, via Rio de Janeiro, Tristan da Cunha, Batavia and Tay Son; 5 ‘The Greatest City on the Surface of the Globe’ By Sea, River and Road to Peking; 6 The Kowtow An ‘Ingenious Vehicle’; 7 ‘Treated Too Favourably, a Barbarian Becomes Arrogant’ From Peking to Rehe; 8 ‘King Solomon in All His Glory’ An Audience With Qianlong; 9 ‘Tremblingly Obey and Show No Negligence!’ Rejection; 10 ‘An Opportunity of Knowing Us’ South to Canton, and Home; 11 ‘An Old, Crazy, First-rate Man of War’ the Aftermath; Conclusion.
£23.75
The Liffey Press Nine Lives: The Reflections of a Deliberate
Book SynopsisIn a career spanning 41 years in the Irish diplomatic service, Ambassador Dónal Denham has lived among nine very different societies, spanning three continents. With stops in France, Zambia, the USA, Lithuania, Belarus, Finland and finally the Holy See, Dónal has a few choice tales to tell. He opened two Irish embassies, served in all seven Irish Presidencies and had thought-provoking conversations with some fascinating people, including Ronald Reagan in the White House, Kenneth Kaunda in the State House and Mary Robinson in our own President's House. Dónal was inspired by is his grandfather, Eamonn Tuke, a volunteer in the Irish Citizen Army and a footsoldier of the Irish Rebellion of 1916 and War of Independence. And Dónal’s other hero, John F. Kennedy, famously said, "Ask not what your country can do for you but what you can do for your country." With those words in his ear and his partner Siobhan at his side, Dónal served his country under many different guises to make its presence known in international settings and to offer the legendary Irish hospitality to fellow world citizens, and along the way made many enduring friendships. There were some tears, but much laughter too. With a focus on funny incidents, happy moments and some achievements for Ireland Inc., Nine Lives is a refreshing and enjoyable read by a diplomat who thoroughly enjoyed his years as Ireland’s envoy.
£17.05
Les Belles Lettres Journal (1932-1943): Les Revelations Inedites de
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£44.09
Aschendorff Verlag Das Diplomatische Selbst in Der Fruhen Neuzeit:
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£79.27
Bohlau Verlag Archiv Fur Diplomatik, Schriftgeschichte, Siegel-
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£136.26
Bohlau Verlag Zwischen Domestik und Staatsdiener:
Book SynopsisFrühneuzeitliche Diplomatie war durch eine zunehmende Professionalisierung des Botschaftspersonals und der Verwaltungsroutinen gekennzeichnet so die gängige Vorstellung. Insbesondere seien die zuvor als Domestiken des Botschafters tätigen Sekretäre nach und nach durch staatlich bestallte Botschaftssekretäre abgelöst worden. Allerdings ist dieser Prozess bislang ebenso wenig empirisch untersucht wie der soziale Status und das konkrete Aufgabenspektrum der betreffenden Akteure. Die im Band versammelten Beiträge setzen hier an, indem sie erstmals systematisch die Rolle von Botschaftssekretären in der frühneuzeitlichen Diplomatie in den Blick nehmen. Das Spektrum reicht dabei vom 16. bis ins frühe 19. Jahrhundert, von England und Frankreich über Österreich und Preußen bis ins Osmanische Reich.
£71.20
Duncker & Humblot Der Preussische Diplomat Und Historiker Alfred
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£165.30
Harrassowitz Amerikas Weg Auf Den Balkan: Zur Genese Der
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£66.50
Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden GmbH Shaping Good Faith: Modes of Communication in
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£84.71
Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden GmbH Geheimdiplomatie in Der Fruhen Neuzeit: Spione
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£225.96
Franz Steiner Verlag Wiesbaden GmbH Bruderzwist: Strukturen Und Methoden Der
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£185.99
Austrian Academy of Sciences Press Aussenpolitische Dokumente Der Republik
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£110.00
Universitatsverlag Winter Jewish Organizations in Transatlantic
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£54.00
Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft Bilateral Diplomacy and Eu Membership: Case Study
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£47.25
Nomos Verlagsgesellschaft New Realities in Foreign Affairs: Diplomacy in
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£24.00
Gerlach Press Desert Dispute: the Diplomacy of Boundary-Making
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£110.35
El amigo americano An American Friend
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£31.30
NIAS Press East-West Reflections on Demonization: North
Book SynopsisAlthough the rapid spread worldwide of the coronavirus in 2020 focused minds everywhere on the dangers of a global pandemic, other dangers facing the world have not diminished. Failure to resolve issues relating to the divided Korean peninsula is one of these. Great concern has long been expressed in several quarters about the behavior and ambitions of the reclusive North Korean regime. Often it is presented in Western media as an especially brutal dictatorship whose aggressive expansionist dreams pose a threat to world peace. Others question this one-dimensional picture and argue that a process of selective demonization is at work. In this thoughtful volume, 18 engaged scholars from Asia, the United States and Europe with first-hand knowledge about and experiences in Korea, North and South, share their insights and suggestions with concerned readers worldwide. They strive to get beyond the everyday rhetoric clouding the situation and address the demonization issue, exploring its different aspects from Western and Eastern perspectives. Their approach is to treat the Korean conflict as a multidimensional problem, with historical roots, cross-cultural and political-ideological perspectives, and not least with consequences far beyond the region where it takes place. North Korea is not the only country in the cross-hairs of heavyweight media organizations. The intensifying great power struggle between China and the United States is being played out on television, online and in the print media of both countries and beyond. The volume thus concludes by drawing into its consideration this developing conflict in which the two Koreas play a minor, almost bystander role. As such, as well as providing engaged readers with a more nuanced treatment of the issues, this collection offers important insights to journalists, officials and decision-makers around the world.
£52.00
NIAS Press East-West Reflections on Demonization: North
Book SynopsisAlthough the rapid spread worldwide of the coronavirus in 2020 focused minds everywhere on the dangers of a global pandemic, other dangers facing the world have not diminished. Failure to resolve issues relating to the divided Korean peninsula is one of these. Great concern has long been expressed in several quarters about the behavior and ambitions of the reclusive North Korean regime. Often it is presented in Western media as an especially brutal dictatorship whose aggressive expansionist dreams pose a threat to world peace. Others question this one-dimensional picture and argue that a process of selective demonization is at work. In this thoughtful volume, 18 engaged scholars from Asia, the United States and Europe with first-hand knowledge about and experiences in Korea, North and South, share their insights and suggestions with concerned readers worldwide. They strive to get beyond the everyday rhetoric clouding the situation and address the demonization issue, exploring its different aspects from Western and Eastern perspectives. Their approach is to treat the Korean conflict as a multidimensional problem, with historical roots, cross-cultural and political-ideological perspectives, and not least with consequences far beyond the region where it takes place. North Korea is not the only country in the cross-hairs of heavyweight media organizations. The intensifying great power struggle between China and the United States is being played out on television, online and in the print media of both countries and beyond. The volume thus concludes by drawing into its consideration this developing conflict in which the two Koreas play a minor, almost bystander role. As such, as well as providing engaged readers with a more nuanced treatment of the issues, this collection offers important insights to journalists, officials and decision-makers around the world.
£23.35
Hong Kong University Press Mongolia and the United States: A Diplomatic
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£44.20
NUS Press Britain and Sihanouk's Cambodia
Book SynopsisDiplomatic relations between Cambodia and Britain at the height of the Cold War provide unique insights into the overall foreign policies of both nations. King Norodom Sihanouk's strategy of preserving the independence and integrity of Cambodia through a policy of neutrality grew ever more challenging as the Cold War heated up in Indochina and the conflict in Vietnam became a proxy war between the superpowers. Despite its alliance with the United States, Britain's diplomatic objectives in the region largely aligned with Cambodia's, and British criticism of US policy towards Cambodia was a problem in the alliance.British diplomatic records present a fascinating window into Cambodian decision-making, and the rationale behind Sihanouk's sometimes apparently irrational policies. The reports yield new insights into Sihanouk's efforts to sustain Cambodia's integrity vis-à-vis its more powerful neighbours. Equally, a fine-grained analysis of British-Cambodia relations reveals much about the dynamics of British foreign policy in the period. Britain's ultimate dependence on its powerful American ally limited its influence in the region. After 1967, indeed, it ceased to have a strategic role. Over the period, British frustrations grew, even as it remained consistent in its foreign policy objectives and approaches.
£42.05
