The Back Channel: A Memoir of American Diplomacy and the Case for Its Renewal

by William J. Burns

“A masterful diplomatic memoir” ( The Washington Post ) from CIA director and career ambassador William J. Burns, from his service under five presidents to his personal encounters with Vladimir Putin and other world leaders—an impassioned argument for the enduring value of diplomacy in an increasingly volatile world.

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 Afghanistan, Iraq, and the Middle East to the secret nuclear talks with Iran.

In The Back Channel, 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, The Back Channel 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.

Genres: Nonfiction, Politics, History, Biography, Memoir, International Relations, Political Science

544 pages, Paperback

First published March 12, 2019

About the author

William J. Burns is president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the oldest international affairs think tank in the United States. He retired from the U.S. Foreign Service in 2014 after a thirty-three-year diplomatic career. He holds the highest rank in the Foreign Service, career ambassador, and is only the second serving career diplomat in history to become deputy secretary of state. Prior to his tenure as deputy secretary, Ambassador Burns served from 2008 to 2011 as under secretary for political affairs. He was ambassador to Russia from 2005 to 2008, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern affairs from 2001 to 2005, and ambassador to Jordan from 1998 to 2001. Ambassador Burns earned a bachelor’s in history from La Salle University and master’s and doctoral degrees in international relations from Oxford University, where he studied as a Marshall Scholar. He and his wife, Lisa, have two daughters.

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burns has had a long career as a diplomat. The book covers the period from Regan to the current time. Burns tells about his long career in the State Department. He has held all types of positions from Deputy Secretary of State to Ambassador. He explains about the role of diplomacy and what is happening as we forgo the importance of diplomacy.

The book is well written. I found the last chapter the most interesting where he discussed the rebuilding of foreign policy and the State Department. He gave suggestions on how the State Department should be reorganized. I enjoyed his evaluation of the various Secretaries of States he served under. I found the book to be enlightening and upbeat. It is easy to read and understand. I highly recommend the book.

I read this as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is seventeen hours and five minutes. Mark Bramhall does a good job narrating the book. Bramhall is an actor and audiobook narrator. He has won the prestigious Audie Award as well as thirty Audiofile Earphone Awards. He is also the Publisher’s Weekly’s “Best Voice of the Year”.

[Maziar MHK · Rating 3 out of 5]

تقریباََ مطمئن بودم آیت الله خامنه ای به این پیشنهاد چراغ سبز نخواهد داد. مطمئن بودم او تمایل نخواهد داشت صفِ طولانیِ درخواست کنندگانِ ویزایِ آمریکا را در مقابلِ سفارتِ ما در تهران مشاهده کند. مطمئناََ از نظر او، دفترِ حفاظتِ منافعِ آمریکا در تهران به مثابهِ اسبِ تروا بود. - صفحه 400

اولاََ
دیپلماتی مغرور با کُت و شلواری آراسته، سِبیلی تقریباََ بور و موهایی جوگندمی، در ترکیبِ تیم مذاکره کننده آمریکائی در جریان توافقِ برجام، در کنارِ خانومِ "وندی شِرمَن" توجه ها را بیشتر از سایرین به خود جلب میکرد، ازقضا بِدان لحاظ که وفقِ شخصیتِ دوربین گُریزَش، سعی بسیار داشت تا توجهی جلب نکند. او کسی نبود جُز "ویلیام برنز" ، دیپلمات ایرلندی تبارِ وزارت خارجه ایالات متحده، که از اوایل دهه شصت شمسی در مناصبی چون کارآموز و کارمند دون پایه وزارت، سفیر در اردن، معاون و سفیرِ سفارت آمریکا در مسکو، معاون وزارت خارجه و این اواخر، یکی از معاونینِ "جان کِری" در مذاکراتِ منجر به "برجام" مشغول بکار بوده است. کتابِ حاضر، خاطره نگاریِ وی از دورانِ کاریَش در وزارت خارجه آمریکاست

وی در فصلی مستقل از خاطراتِ مذاکراتِ برجام، اصلی ترین علتِ رسیدن به توافقِ اولیه یِ سریع با دولتِ جدیدِ روحانی را مذاکراتِ فوقِ محرمانه مفصل در اواخرِ دولت احمدی نژاد می داند. این را داشته باشید و به این فکر کنید که اکنون -خرداد99-، در این وَلوله یِ تنش هایِ ایران و آمریکا، شاید چند دیپلماتِ یقه آخوندی در یک سو و چند کراوات زده اَش در سویِ دیگرِ میزی در باشگاه افسرانِ ارتش عمان در "مَسقط" دارند گل می گویند و گل میشنوند. وَ کَسی چه داند که "دیپلمات" ها به نیابت از "انقلابی" ها، برایِ ایرانی جماعت در آغازین سال هایِ قرنِ جدید شمسیِ چه خواب ها که ندیده اند؟
: لینک مصاحبه نویسنده با برنامه "به عبارت دیگر" در تلویزیون بی.بی.سی
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UT8Vq...

ثانیاََ
حدس می زنم، بِجای پُرگوئیِ بیجا درموردِ موضوعاتِ جالبِ توجه برایِ مخاطب ایرانی، مرورِ چند نقل قول از متنِ کتاب، شایسته تر خواهد بود

الف) نظر ملک عبدالله در مورد تعاملِ آمریکا با شیطنت های صدام

در اواخر دولت کلینتون، مَلِک عبدالله معتقد بود آمریکا بِجایِ آسیب زدن به صدام به او کمک می کند. وی معتقد بود که سیاست هایِ آمریکا به گونه ای است که به صدام اجازه می دهد نقش یک قربانی را بازی کند. صفحه 165

ب) تعریفِ جالبِ "برنز" از ماهیتِ دیپلماسی

دیپلماسی گاهی هنرِ رسیدن به نتایجی است که هزینه کمتری در مقایسه با جنگ در پی دارد و هر یک از طرفین را در موقعیتی بهتر نسبت به قبل قرار می دهد. صفحه 230

ج) نظراتِ همسان دو سیاستمدارِ ارشد واشنگتن در موردِ نادیده گرفتنِ کارسازیِ دیپلماسی

اوباما و مَتیس، یکی رییس جمهور و دیگری وزیر دفاع، یکی دموکرات و آن دیگری جمهوری خواه، بطرز عجیبی در موردِ اهمیتِ دیپلماسی برای ایالات متحده هم نظرند. اوباما می گوید اگر همیشه چَکُش دست تان باشد، همه چیز را "میخ" خواهید دید. مَتیس نیز می گوید کاهش بودجه وزارت خارجه، او را به خرید سلاح های بیشتری برای ارتش وادار خواهد کرد. ص458

[Alissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Eric Lin · Rating 3 out of 5]

On the one hand, the number of people who could have written this book is vanishingly small. On the other hand, there isn't much here that wasn't available to the public if you read between the lines in the news. Putin's dismissal of America's worldview, the Middle East's skepticism about America's ability to successfully handle the Iraq situation during GW Bush's administration, and the realities of the Iran nuclear deal are all given a bit more color, but his descriptions of his personal involvement usually amounted to lots of descriptions of meetings that took place, with a few fairly safe anecdotes sprinkled in.

Biggest surprise from reading this book: finding out how secret talks with Iran led to the Iran nuclear deal. Grown men snuck around New York City to meet in secret, using the UN General Assembly as cover? Wild.

Biggest disappointment: his case for why American leadership in diplomacy has a lot of assumptions baked in that I would have loved to hear him justify (why it's ok for the US to essentially meddle in the politics of other countries, why we naively believe that we can keep nuclear weapons out of the hands of all but a handful of countries, despite the vast amount of leverage possessing one of these weapons provides, and why we need to be the 'world police', despite the immense cost of doing so).

Near the end of the book, the author provides a list of policy positions that the Trump administration has walked back, such as pulling out of the Paris accords, various trade deals, reneging on the Iran nuclear deal, and changing course on the TPP. His point about why these are hard to sell to the American public is a convincing one - that these are always the product of compromise, which often produce agreements that are somewhat unpalatable to all parties involved. I don't think it's tough for him to sell the narrative that Trump has tanked the stock on American reliability, but the political climate that got Trump elected barely gets discussed.

The last two chapters or so are what I wanted out of this book. In these chapters, Burns uses his several decades of diplomatic experience to describe how we got to where we are today. One story - that overreach during Bush 43's terms, paired with an overuse of military force eroded the American public's faith in the diplomatic process is fairly compelling, but I wanted him to spend more time laying this out. As he says, the politics at home, and geopolitics are often intertwined, but throughout his account of dinners with the King of Jordan, or that time Putin's delegation tried to drink the American delegation under the table, we don't hear much about the how things are at home.

If you want to read an insider's account of the past 40 years of American diplomacy, this is likely the most detailed, candid, and non-partisan account you will be able to find. But it could have been so much better.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful memoir about William J. Bush's time in the State Department, through the Reagan presidency to Obama's. The title doesn't indicate how well written and charming this book is. Burns is an enlightening and engrossing writer, talking about Soviet Union, Russia, Egypt, and Iran among other countries. A great book I highly recommend.

[Sherri Holliday-Sklar · Rating 4 out of 5]

This very readable book gives the reader a good overview of the critical foreign policy events over the past three decades. If you're considering a career in the U.S. foreign service, you can get a sense of the kind of work we do. I enjoyed this book.

[Ramakrishna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating insight in the relatively modern methods of American diplomacy.

[Nishka · Rating 5 out of 5]

incredibly interesting viewpoint of diplomacy through america’s greatest complexities in the last half century or so.

would recommend to anyone interested in geopolitics, political psychology, foreign affairs, and government agencies.

[Ted Haussman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have always had an interest in American foreign policy and diplomacy since the days of a wonderful course I took in college. This wonderful book explains takes you from the Reagan days in the Middle East and bombings of Beirut through the Iran nuclear deal in 2014 which sadly a misguided Trump has withdrawn from. Burns does a yeoman's job comparing and contrasting approaches across administrations, gives you a good feel for major world leaders, and overall takes you under the hood to see the inner workings of key diplomatic milestones at work. He tells his story -- his memoir of diplomacy for 25 or so years -- with candor, explaining where the US got it right and how it also made horrible mistakes. While not quite a benediction, he offers hope for renewed diplomacy in a post-Trump age where it will be sorely needed.

Fantastic book!

[Martin, I stand with ISRAEL · Rating 1 out of 5]

This was a long, boring read.

I hated the anti-Israel bashing. When you start bashing Israel, I start to lose interest. FAST.

Getting past the Israel thing, the author recounts every diplomatic escapade the author encounters. The author writes in a very boring style so I often lost interest while reading.

The one redeeming factor is the author pointing out the disaster years of trump’s administration in diplomacy.

[Allison · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a memoir, it is very dry and without much personality. As a history of U.S. foreign policy that the author was involved in over the last several decades, it is quite thorough.

[Olivia Sessum · Rating 4 out of 5]

very informative, it took me sooo long to read though because it was kind of dry at some points.

[Alex Hyland · Rating 5 out of 5]

Burns started his 33 year career at the bottom of the State Department in Jordan and through calculated decision making, agility, and a balance of short and long term vision, became a key player in many of the world’s most impactful diplomatic moments. He will undoubtedly make a profound impact as the Director of the CIA.

[Ctgt · Rating 4 out of 5]

These are exactly the type of career professionals we need in government.

Deep state my a$$.

9/10

[Burk · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very disappointing. Repeated apologies for a system that he was a part of for decades. It did not suddenly become dysfunctional only when Trump took over. And he terribly conflates our national interests with American corporate interests.

[Patrick Powers · Rating 3 out of 5]

Inspiring and illuminating at times, but I worry that any insight and analysis loses its edge to nostalgia and civility. The even-handed treatment of different officials as individual people is admirable, but it seems like it overshadows any critique of the policy decisions being made. There’s no real or meaningful challenge to the post-9/11 militarization of foreign policy, or at least no real attempt to wrestle with it. The “renewal” in question seems to be more about the accelerated erosion of diplomacy under Trump than the greater shift away from diplomacy and towards militarization that has taken place throughout the 21st century and has been perpetuated by Liberal leaders across the Western political spectrum.
Critiques aside, the book is well-written and as someone interested in foreign policy it’s always inspiring to hear the stories of influential people in that world.

[Alex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice to hear the perspective and experience of a career diplomat and the current CIA director. The historical context of US foreign relations gives lots of good insights to understanding where we are now, and what is possible (and less possible) through diplomacy. I feel like we think of diplomacy as very abstract, with nations engaging in national self-interest, but with how Burns describes his experience, I feel a lot of diplomacy comes down to people, who are very human in their desires and limitations, rather than these much larger abstractions that they represent. Also good to hear where he thinks he / the US made mistakes.

[Christian S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

William Burns gives a decidedly unbiased account of American diplomacy. His ability to put the reader “in the room” during some of the most consequential moments of his career (which span the nearly last four decades of American foreign politics) is refreshing and intriguing. He also does not hold back on criticism, be it of administration policy failures or his own short comings. A great read for anyone interested in how the world of diplomacy works or who just wants an overview of an amazingly interesting career.

[Robert D · Rating 5 out of 5]

Will do review after a little more thought. One of the most important that I have read in at least recent history! After ore thought, I must say that this is such a solid example of why we need very wise people that are engaged in our diplomacy. There is little that scares me, but the current administrations almost complete lack of understanding of what it is all about almost guarantees that we will makes errors that lead to war!

[Theodore · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed "The Back Channel" . The most positive aspect of the book was the authors authentic voice and passionate belief in the nobility of his chosen profession. While I agree with his editorial comments about the future of diplomacy in the main, the writing in these parts of the book was less engaging when compared with the experiences discussed in the narrative sections. All in all, an excellent read.

[Matt Connolly · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by far my favorite diplomatic memoir. Burns, now director of the CIA, recounts his career at the State Department from the early 90s thru to President Obama, with a special prologue to talk about Pres. Trump. Burns draws heavily on his own cables to provide an on-the-ground view of life in Jordan, or Russia, or any number of places where he served with his family. Overall, an excellent read, and anyone interested in current events should pick it up.

[Caleb Wursten · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am shocked by the five star ratings and testimonials. This book is short on insight and long on self praise. It was painful making it through to the end. Burns only felt comfortable giving a honest portrayal of long dead of irrelevant foreign leaders.

You will learn about the self perception and career trajectory of a top US diplomat.

[Leo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burns shares his experience of more than three decades as an American diplomat that touches on a large portion of the biggest foreign policy issues of the day. A great memoir that doesn't get bogged down in the details and reads like serial.

[Lindsey Whyte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting first hand account of state department activities from 80's through the Obama administration - a time of much change in US relations with other countries.

[Saheb Singh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a unique book, written by one of America's stalwart diplomats. Written as a memoir, it goes beyond the experiences of the author to offer several other takeaways.
It serves as a deep dive into U.S. foreign policy from the beginning of the end of the Cold War onwards. It covers several regions and decisions, particularly rich on Russia and West Asia - Yeltsin and Putin's Russia, Saddam Hussain's Iraq, Gaddafi's Libya, Assad (both Bashar and Haafez)'s Syria, Iran, Israel, Palestine, Jordan, amongst others.
The narrative is endlessly nuanced and layered, uncovering the several choices available to US policymakers, and the tradeoffs inherent in each of those choices. It sheds light on America's unipolar moment, and the "inversion of force and diplomacy" that tainted it after 9/11.

The book achieves what it aims to do - make the case for diplomacy in a disordered world. Published in 2019, it takes stock of the first Trump term, but has lessons that are just as easily applicable to the present. It demonstrates the value and potential of diplomacy in helping address today's challenges.

One thing that struck me is the sheer comfort that U.S. policymakers have with the possibility of the use of force. That of course has a lot to do with the tools of force and power available to America. But it is revealing and insightful, and there is much that Indian policymakers could learn from there. As India rises and more power becomes available to it, it must learn to use and craftily wield that power to it's advantage, mindful of the costs and benefits that come with exercising power.

Overall, this eminently readable book is hard to put down, with insights and wisdom emanating from each page.

[MJ Heli · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book for the insight into the career path of a successful foreign service officer, because someone close to me has FSO career aspirations. As a sketch of a successful if extraordinary career trajectory this book is a resounding success. Although the author presents an apolitical perspective expected of a career diplomat, his hypothesis for salving an ailing diplomatic corps was short on specifics, disappointingly so. And while his clear distain for the Trump approach was evident, he failed to acknowledge where decades of diplomatic failures and endless loops of negotiations that no longer approximate the values driving US policy had left no alternatives.

[M.J. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ambassador Burns had a very interesting career over quite a span in our nation's recent history. I enjoyed reading about his time overseas...especially a funeral he had attended in Jordan that drew in quite a cast of characters then in the same room that would be totally unimaginable today. I also appreciated his insight on the Washington internal policymaking process. I liked his humble attitude and approach. Overall I gave this 3.5 stars because I would have liked to read more about how he balanced family and his career as well as his wife's own career as a diplomat.

[Denise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burns's name caught my attention in connection to his nomination by Biden as the next CIA director. The article I read on the subject happened to mention this memoir of his and piqued my interest. His long career as a diplomat makes for fascinating reading, and he deals out some evenhanded and well-deserved (albeit at times a little lukewarm) criticism of American foreign policy blunders over the past decades.

[Molly M H · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is truly in the “required reading” category for anyone working in, or following, foreign policy. Burns was “in the room where it happened” for virtually every major development during my lifetime: the fall of the Berlin Wall, the decision-making prior to the Iraq war, the Arab Spring, the rapid erosion of the relationship with Putin, the secret talks with Iran to constrain its nuclear enrichment… I could go on. He gives an honest take on our mistakes as well as the gains made, and closes the book with a clear and passionate vision for the purpose of diplomacy— and a prescription for how to reinvigorate the impact of the craft in my generation of diplomats. I found this book enlightening, thought provoking, and incredibly inspiring.

[KT · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kinda dry but a good view into the last 40 years of international diplomacy.