Throughout the “The Back Channel” Author William J. Burns gives the reader an incredible front row seat to the last thirty plus years of American diplomacy (or sometimes the lack of diplomacy!)  Through the author’s respectful and thought-provoking critique of the past 5 presidential administrations we are able to see where our foreign policy has served us well and where it has failed. The author does an amazing job of sifting through his years of service focusing on critical events and policies that give context to not only where we have been and where we are, but even more importantly what the future could be! While politically there were policies I opposed, I closed the book with an incredible respect and appreciation for the hard work, intelligence, and agility that goes into achieving a coherent and credible foreign policy.  I couldn’t help but think how lucky our country had been to have the service of William Burns. And despite the incredibly challenging times before us, after reading “The Back Channel”, I am left with the belief that there will be others following William Burns that are ready to dedicate themselves to developing and implementing a coherent foreign policy/diplomacy that recognizes our values, respects the values of others and can still give hope to the world.  And even more importantly upon finishing the book, I am left knowing that while changes may be necessary to reflect the dynamics of a new world, it is critical that the work of diplomacy not only continue but be made a priority for our country!  I was honored to receive a free advanced copy of this book from NetGalley and the Publisher, Random House in exchange for an honest review.

A good book on modern diplomatic efforts and why diplomacy has mattered over the past thirty years.  The historical information comes from the author's personal experience with the diplomatic process covering many of the most visible diplomatic efforts of the past 20 years..  The author glosses over the impact of the incidents in Benghazi and earlier from the Nairobi and Tanzania attacks years earlier.  All of these had a major impact on U.S. State operations not noted in the book.  Though the author did do a good job steering clear of much of the politics involved in the incidents.  Overall, the author did a good job capturing US diplomacy in action and makes a decent case for US diplomacy's renewal.

The definitive, clear-eyed, first person accounting of the highs and lows of American foreign policy and diplomacy in recent decades. Written by one of the great negotiators of our time, a rebuke that statesmanship can be reduced to any art of one deal.  Reading this book revived great pride within me for my complicated chosen profession. From the last chapter: "The good news is that there are plenty of reasons to be optimistic about the potential of American diplomacy. As I hope the pages of this book have helped to illustrate, it is an honorable profession, filled with good people and strong purpose. Another of Teddy Roosevelt’s well-known sayings was that “life’s greatest good fortune is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.” By that standard, my long experience as an American diplomat was incredibly fortunate. While it may sometimes not seem so apparent in the age of Trump, the experience of the next generation of diplomats holds just as much promise. The image and value of public service is scarred and dented right now, but the diplomatic profession has never mattered more, or been more consequential for our interests at home and abroad."  Read this book to understand how we as a nation stand in this world now, and who we can be again.