{"product_id":"books-the-back-channel-by-william-j-burns","title":"The Back Channel","description":"\u003cb\u003eFrom America's secret diplomatic weapon (\u003ci\u003eThe Atlantic\u003c\/i\u003e)--a man who served five presidents and ten secretaries of state--comes an impassioned argument for the enduring value of diplomacy in an increasingly volatile world.\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e Over the course of more than three decades as an American diplomat, William J. Burns played a central role in the most consequential diplomatic episodes of his time--from the bloodless end of the Cold War to the collapse of post-Cold War relations with Putin's Russia, from post-9\/11 tumult in the Middle East to the secret nuclear talks with Iran. Burns is widely regarded as one of the most distinguished and admired American statesmen of the last half century. Upon his retirement in 2014, Secretary John Kerry said Burns belonged on a very short list of American diplomatic legends, alongside George Kennan. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e In \u003ci\u003eThe Back Channel, \u003c\/i\u003e Burns recounts, with novelistic detail and incisive analysis, some of the seminal moments of his career. Drawing on a trove of newly declassified cables and memos, he gives readers a rare inside look at American diplomacy in action. His dispatches from war-torn Chechnya and Qaddafi's bizarre camp in the Libyan desert and his warnings of the Perfect Storm that would be unleashed by the Iraq War will reshape our understanding of history--and inform the policy debates of the future. Burns sketches the contours of effective American leadership in a world that resembles neither the zero-sum Cold War contest of his early years as a diplomat nor the unipolar moment of American primacy that followed. Ultimately, \u003ci\u003eThe Back Channel\u003c\/i\u003e is an eloquent, deeply informed, and timely story of a life spent in service of American interests abroad. It is also a powerful reminder, in a time of great turmoil, of the enduring importance of diplomacy. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eAdvance praise for \u003ci\u003eThe Back Channel\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eBill Burns is simply one of the finest U.S. diplomats of the last half century. \u003ci\u003eThe Back Channel \u003c\/i\u003edemonstrates his rare and precious combination of strategic insight and policy action. It is full of riveting historical detail but also, more important, shrewd insights into how we can advance our interests and values in a world where U.S. leadership remains the linchpin of international order.\u003cb\u003e--James A. Baker III\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Bill Burns is a stellar exemplar of the grand tradition of wise Americans who made our country the indispensable nation in this world. \u003ci\u003eThe Back Channel\u003c\/i\u003e shows how diplomacy works, why it matters, and why its recent demise is so tragic.\u003cb\u003e--Walter Isaacson, author of \u003ci\u003eLeonardo da Vinci\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e","brand":"World of Books ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":53675065868561,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0784\/4072\/6801\/files\/9780525508861.jpg?v=1781537861","url":"https:\/\/www.worldofbooks.com\/en-gb\/products\/books-the-back-channel-by-william-j-burns","provider":"World of Books ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}