This book explores the uses and limits of the power of negotiation and diplomacy in U.S. foreign policy at a critical juncture in U.S. history. Beginning with the failure of U.S. diplomacy to nip Saddam Hussein’s ambitions in the bud prior to the first Gulf War, it argues that a series of diplomatic blunders laid the foundations for the uninhibited use of “gun power” over “talk power” for the next two decades. It critically examines missed opportunities in America’s handling of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in both the Clinton and George W. Bush administrations. Looking ahead, it shows how the United States should negotiate with “unengageables” like Iran, North Korea, and terrorists wherever they occur. "Offer[s] a new perspective on diplomatic relations and an optimistic eye toward the future." --Publishers Weekly "...a powerful book on a critical subject."--Harold H. Saunders, President Jimmy Carter"s assistant secretary of state at Camp David, now President of the International Institute for Sustained Dialogue "Timely and thought-provoking..."--Terje RøD-Larsen