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War on Peace
The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence
681 pages
A gripping, behind-the-scenes autopsy of American diplomacy that reads like a political thriller while sounding a profound alarm.
What it feels like
Reading this book feels like walking the quiet, emptying halls of the State Department alongside a deeply knowledgeable insider who is watching a tragedy unfold in slow motion. The narrative moves at a brisk, investigative clip, blending the sharp edges of a political thriller with the elegiac tone of a historical memoir. It is a sobering and tense experience, immersing the reader in the smoke-filled rooms and war zones where the delicate art of statecraft has been steadily replaced by the blunt instrument of military force. The prose is sharp, character-driven, and deeply empathetic to the diplomats fighting a losing battle. It will thoroughly captivate political junkies, history enthusiasts, and anyone fascinated by the hidden levers of global power and the human cost of institutional decay.
- Mood
- sobering
- tense
- reflective
- foreboding
- Tone
- urgent
- critical
- elegiac
- investigative
- Pace
- brisk
- Themes
- institutional decay · militarization of foreign policy · the lost art of statecraft · political short-sightedness · behind-the-scenes power dynamics
- The writing
- Sharp, narrative-driven journalism that blends personal memoir with rigorous historical analysis and vivid character portraits.
- The arc
- Moves from a sense of alarming institutional decay and historical loss to a sobering but urgent call for the revival of diplomacy.
- Who it's for
- Political junkies, history buffs, and readers who crave behind-the-scenes accounts of government and foreign policy.
Content notes
- war themes
- political corruption
- discussions of terrorism and violence
About the book
American diplomacy is under siege. 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 account ranging from Washington, D.C., to Afghanistan, Pakistan, and North Korea in the years since 9/11, acclaimed journalist and former diplomat Ronan Farrow illuminates one of the most consequential and poorly understood changes in American history. His firsthand experience in the State Department 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. Farrow’s narrative is richly informed by interviews with whistleblowers, policymakers, and a warlord, from Henry Kissinger to Hillary Clinton. Diplomacy, Farrow argues, has declined after decades of political cowardice, short-sightedness, and outright malice—but it may just offer America a way out of a world at war.
Description from Open Library.
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