This survey of the foreign relations of the great powers is essentially a straightforward diplomatic history: an attempt to describe how statesmen conducted foreign policy, how they dealt with crisis situations, and how they succeeded or failed to resolve them.

President Obama's former White House chief of protocol looks at why etiquette and diplomacy matter--and what they can do for you. History often appears to consist of big gestures and dramatic shifts. But for every peace treaty signed, someone set the stage and provided the pen. As social secretary to the Clintons for eight years, and more recently as chief of protocol under President Obama, Capricia Penavic Marshall has not just borne witness to history, she facilitated it. For Marshall, diplomacy runs on the invisible gesture: the micro moves that affect the macro shifts. Facilitation is power, and, more often than not, it is the key to effective diplomacy. In Protocol, Marshall draws on her experience working at the highest levels of government to show how she enabled interactions and maximized our country's relationships, all by focusing on the specifics of political, diplomatic, and cultural etiquette. By analyzing the lessons she's learned in more than two decades of welcoming world leaders to the United States and traveling abroad with presidents, first ladies, and secretaries of state, she demonstrates the complexity of human interactions and celebrates the power of detail and cultural IQ. From selecting the ideal room for each interaction to recognizing gestures and actions that might be viewed as controversial in other countries, Marshall brings us a master class in soft power. Protocol provides an unvarnished, behind-the-scenes look at politics and diplomacy from a unique perspective that also serves as an effective, accessible guide for anyone who wants to be empowered by the tools of diplomacy in work and everyday life.

In light of the events of 2011, Real-Time Diplomacy examines how diplomacy has evolved as media have gradually reduced the time available to policy makers. It analyzes the workings of real-time diplomacy and the opportunities for media-centered diplomacy programs that bypass governments and directly engage foreign citizens.

In this comprehensive treatment, distinguished diplomat Chas Freeman describes the fundamental principles of the art of statecraft and the craft of diplomacy. The book draws on the author's years of experience as a practicing diplomat but also his extensive reading of the histories of ancient India, China, Greece, Rome, Byzantium, and the Islamic world as well as modern Europe, Asia, and the Americas. Among numerous other subjects, the book addresses the role of intelligence, political actions, cultural influence, economic measures, and military power, as well as diplomatic strategy and tactics, negotiation, and the tasks and skills of diplomacy.

From China's cyber war on America to Islamist victories across the Middle East to the lengthening shadow cast by Iran, the Washington establishment has failed to neutralize foreign threats that are becoming more dangerous. No one on the political left or right has articulated a realistic defense strategy to meet these new challenges of the twenty-first century. Smart Power -written by a prolific writer and TV commentator who saw firsthand the successes and failures of statecraft in the George W. Bush administration-offers new solutions to the threats America faces today, including radical refo.

Joseph Nye coined the term "soft power" in the late 1980s. It is now used frequently—and often incorrectly—by political leaders, editorial writers, and academics around the world. So what is soft power? Soft power lies in the ability to attract and persuade. Whereas hard power—the ability to coerce—grows out of a country's military or economic might, soft power arises from the attractiveness of a country's culture, political ideals, and policies. Hard power remains crucial in a world of states trying to guard their independence and of non-state groups willing to turn to violence. It forms the core of the Bush administration's new national security strategy. But according to Nye, the neo-conservatives who advise the president are making a major miscalculation: They focus too heavily on using America's military power to force other nations to do our will, and they pay too little heed to our soft power. It is soft power that will help prevent terrorists from recruiting supporters from among the moderate majority. And it is soft power that will help us deal with critical global issues that require multilateral cooperation among states. That is why it is so essential that America better understands and applies our soft power. This book is our guide.

An examination of the nature of middle power diplomacy in the post-Cold War era. As the rigid hierarchy of the bipolar era wanes, the potential ability of middle powers to open segmented niches opens up. This volume indicates the form and scope of this niche-building diplomatic activity from a bottom up perspective to provide an alternative to the dominant apex-dominated image in international relations.