A former U.S. ambassador to the E.U. lays out a useful roadmap to successful international negotiations. Negotiations are a crucial part of statecraft, writes Eizenstat. In his latest book, the author aims to distill key events in U.S. negotiations into lessons for the next generation of diplomats and students. In some of the cases, Eizenstat had direct involvement; regarding others, he studied the records closely and interviewed the participants. As any diplomat will tell you, an essential ingredient in a successful negotiation is preparation. You must understand what the other side wants and how far they will go to get it. In the case of American negotiators, they must be clear about their own objectives while also maintaining the support of the Oval Office. Both sides have to be willing to give something, but they must also be able to walk away with something they can claim as a victory, if only a partial one. The point is not defeating an opponent but finding a workable consensus. Eizenstat identifies a failure to follow through on agreements as a recurring weakness of U.S. diplomacy over the decades. Sometimes, the failure arises due to domestic political circumstances; sometimes, it involves the mistaken view that adding signatures to a piece of paper is an end in itself and will solve all problems. Eizenstat hopes that future negotiators will address these shortcomings. “Successful international negotiations require putting aside historic enmities, hatreds, and prejudices, and reasoning together to reach durable, if painful, compromises,” he writes. ... He provides a valuable primer for those with an interest in this field. Eizenstat covers a lot of ground, writing with the authority and clarity of experience.

Kirkus Reviews

A magisterial tome on the international negotiations that shaped modern American history, Stuart E. Eizenstat's The Art of Diplomacy gets down to the brass tacks of foreign affairs. An ode to diplomacy's power and fickleness, this book hopscotches from intimate, in-the-room portraits of what goes into diplomatic deals to expert accounts of the great American negotiators. Henry Kissinger's “triangular diplomacy,” wedging the US between China and the Soviet Union to promote global stability, is recalled as an example of how, for better or worse, diplomacy can “usher history to places that few would have thought possible.” Unpredictability and trade-offs are a recurring theme in the cases detailed here, too. But what sets the book apart is its prioritization of the individual actors who broker international decisions. In the search for “win-win” compromises, dinners, sporting events, and all manner of creative avenues for engendering trust and goodwill become paramount. Both a primer on how to negotiate and a niche history of the last eight decades in world politics, the book includes hundreds of interviews with top-ranking officials and memories of Eizenstat's own experiences negotiating. It transitions from what could have been done better (“desperation from the U.S. mediators…emboldened [Arafat] to take a stronger position in the negotiations” that failed at the 2000 Camp David summit) toward pragmatic advice for approaching today's raging international crises (to achieve peace in Ukraine, Eizenstat says, “it will be essential that there be more than a fragile ceasefire or another set of 'assurances' that Russia can violate”) generate countless insights. These are codified into the thirteen diplomatic precepts that conclude the book. Grand in scope and grounded in decades of experience, The Art of Diplomacy is a compelling work of political history aimed at the diplomatic negotiators of tomorrow.

Foreword Reviews

Stuart Eizenstat has written a masterful book which captures the reasons why the Good Friday Agreement was successfully negotiated, ending decades of violence in 'The Troubles' in Northern Ireland. He demonstrates how the combination of the leaders and the circumstances made Good Friday possible, as well as its fragility and the need to nurture it. His brilliantly written book also includes the history and lessons of the major agreements of our era, as well as the failures, in ways which provide lessons for future negotiators. This book is must reading for political leaders and diplomats seeking to resolve the challenges we face in our troubled world today through negotiation, not war.

Bertie Ahern, Taoiseach (Prime Minister) of Ireland (1997-2008)

Stuart Eizenstat does not just share with us the fascinating stories of the many negotiations in which he and his interviewees participated or led; he also conveys lessons that may assist his readers to overcome crises and not repeat the same mistakes, increasing their chances to succeed. Every person who is involved with any kind of negotiations must read this book.

Yossi Beilin, Israeli Minister of Economics and Planning (1995) and Minister of Justice (1999-2001), and principal Israeli negotiator of the 1993 Oslo Accords

The lifeblood of international affairs is diplomacy. The goal of diplomacy is agreement. Yet too little time and energy has been spent on understanding what helps in reaching agreement in foreign relations. As Prime Minister I faced numerous diplomatic challenges, particularly the negotiations and agreement over Northern Ireland. We approached these issues with careful judgement and instinct, and we learned through trial and error some principles on how these types of agreements succeed. Stu Eizenstat's important book codifies these principles and gives a full spectrum of lessons on diplomacy and negotiation. It will be a much needed and important handbook for those conducting such discussions.

Tony Blair, Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, 1997-2007

Eliminating the use of force in interstate relations calls for a constant dedication to diplomacy. How does it work? Drawing on public sources, personal interviews with key actors and his own rich experience, Stuart Eizenstat offers fascinating accounts of the role of diplomacy in many great controversies. It is first-class diplomatic history but also highly instructive. It should be read by all who deal with foreign policy.

Hans Blix, Head of International Atomic Energy Agency; Head of United Nations Monitor, Verification, and Inspection Commission on Iraq; Swedish Minister of Foreign Affairs