War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence
US foreign policy is undergoing a dire transformation, forever changing America's place in the world. Institutions of diplomacy and development are bleeding out after deep budget cuts; the diplomats who make America's deals and protect its citizens around the world are walking out in droves. Offices across the State Department sit empty, while abroad the military-industrial complex has assumed the work once undertaken by peacemakers. We're becoming a nation that shoots first and asks questions later.
In an astonishing journey from the corridors of power in Washington, DC, to some of the most remote and dangerous places on earth--Afghanistan, Somalia, and North Korea among them--acclaimed investigative journalist Ronan Farrow illuminates one of the most consequential and poorly understood changes in American history. His firsthand experience as a former State Department official affords a personal look at some of the last standard bearers of traditional statecraft, including Richard Holbrooke, who made peace in Bosnia and died while trying to do so in Afghanistan.
Drawing on recently unearthed documents, and richly informed by rare interviews with whistle-blowers, a warlord, and policymakers--including every living former secretary of state from Henry Kissinger to Hillary Clinton to Rex Tillerson--and now updated with revealing firsthand accounts from inside Donald Trump's confrontations with diplomats during his impeachment and candid testimonials from officials in Joe Biden's inner circle, War on Peace makes a powerful case for an endangered profession. Diplomacy, Farrow argues, has declined after decades of political cowardice, shortsightedness, and outright malice--but it may just offer America a way out of a world at war.
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Community Reviews
Ronan Farrow not only worked for the State Department (I did not know this), but he was a right-hand man to Richard Holbrooke, one of the more well-known diplomats even to people like me who don't (didn't) pay much attention. Because of Farrow's unique position, he was able to give firsthand accounts of goings-on behind the scenes; because of this (and/or his famous name and parentage?), he was also able to gain access to and interview every living former Secretary of State, and others, including foreign leaders. Just a really fascinating dive into the beginning, and the depressing end, to diplomacy. But it isn't just the recent gutting of the State Department and summary dismissal of its greatest and smartest diplomatic leaders (not to mention the nonsense going on with Ukraine (because once we start mentioning nonsense, there's just too much nonsense to talk about with this current shit show!)) -- it's been a steady march favoring militarism over diplomacy. "American leadership no longer valued diplomats, which led to the kind of cuts that made diplomats less valuable. Rinse, repeat."
It's also an eye-opening read about the compromises that go into making peace deals, many times deals with the devil, and how, in places like Afghanistan and Pakistan, U.S. aid meant to support this fighting against extremists and terrorists ultimately was turned on its head and used to support those very groups.
At one point Farrow is able to secure an interview with Afghan warlord (now vice president of Afghanistan) Abdul Rashid Dostum. Dostum had been an American ally after the 9/11 attacks, helping in our fight against the Taliban. But he's one scary dude. Farrow wants to ask him about a mass grave (thousands of bodies) that was found near one of Dostum's strongholds. Dostum wants to talk about his love of animals and actually arrived at the interview with a reindeer (a reindeer!) who was just as confused about being there as Farrow. Dostum tells him it's very rare that he talks to journalists. But he's made an exception for Farrow because he's "a good fellow from a friendly country," while also eyeing him with suspicion. This chapter alone is worth the price of the book.
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