Undersecretary-General for Special Political Affairs of the United Nations from 1981 to 1988, Diego Cordovez was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize for his role in negotiating the Geneva Accords. Selig S. Harrison, a former Washington Post foreign correspondent and the author of five books about Asia, is a Senior Associate of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
"The detailed account by Cordovez and harrison, both veteran
participants in behind the scenes discussions of the war...details
the factionalism in Moscow--and in Washington, between the
'bleeders' and the 'dealers' in the Reagan administration."--The
New Republic
"Contrary to conventional wisdom propagated by the Western
media...Cordovez and Harrison tell us that the Red Army was on the
ground in Afghanistan when the Soviet Union agreed to withdraw.
After endless blunders on both the Soviet and American sides, and
after six years of excruciatingly ticklish diplomacy
(authoritatively described here), negotiators found a way to secure
a settlement. Cordovez's personal role in the dealings lends the
book an inside
perspective."--The Washington Post Book World
"This is probably the most comprehensive volume written about the
events which might be considered a landmark in contemporary
history."--International Relations
"The Harrison-Cordovez book represents a major contribution to our
understanding of a crucial moment in the Cold War--the Soviet
intervention and defeat in Afghanistan."--President Jimmy
Carter
"This is a fascinating and important book, and for once a book that
lives up to its title. With Diego Cordovez's key personal role, and
Selig Harrison's background experience and research, this is "the
inside story" of the intricate, multifaceted diplomatic drama
behind the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, and it presents a
well-grounded account of the Soviet decisions to intervene and
later to pull out as well."--Raymond L. Garthoff, Senior
Fellow,
The Brookings Institution and author of The Great Transition:
American Soviet Relations and the End of the Cold War
"The detailed account by Cordovez and harrison, both veteran
participants in behind the scenes discussions of the war...details
the factionalism in Moscow--and in Washington, between the
'bleeders' and the 'dealers' in the Reagan administration."--The
New Republic
"Contrary to conventional wisdom propagated by the Western
media...Cordovez and Harrison tell us that the Red Army was on the
ground in Afghanistan when the Soviet Union agreed to withdraw.
After endless blunders on both the Soviet and American sides, and
after six years of excruciatingly ticklish diplomacy
(authoritatively described here), negotiators found a way to secure
a settlement. Cordovez's personal role in the dealings lends the
book an inside
perspective."--The Washington Post Book World
"This is probably the most comprehensive volume written about the
events which might be considered a landmark in contemporary
history."--International Relations
"The Harrison-Cordovez book represents a major contribution to our
understanding of a crucial moment in the Cold War--the Soviet
intervention and defeat in Afghanistan."--President Jimmy
Carter
"This is a fascinating and important book, and for once a book that
lives up to its title. With Diego Cordovez's key personal role, and
Selig Harrison's background experience and research, this is "the
inside story" of the intricate, multifaceted diplomatic drama
behind the Soviet withdrawal from Afghanistan, and it presents a
well-grounded account of the Soviet decisions to intervene and
later to pull out as well."--Raymond L. Garthoff, Senior
Fellow,
The Brookings Institution and author of The Great Transition:
American Soviet Relations and the End of the Cold War
"A year before the Soviet occupation, Selig Harrison became the
first to warn that an invasion of Afghanistan was possible. Then in
the early 1980s, he was the first to report that Diego Cordovez of
the United Nations was making unexpected progress in persuading the
Soviets to leave Afghanistan. Now they have joined together to
write an absorbing account of that remarkable United Nations
success. Their book will remain for years to come the authoritative
source
on a critical development in the history of the Cold War."--Charles
William Maynes, Editor, Foreign Policy
"This is the most authoritative, complete, and exciting account of
the Soviet Union's blundering entry into war in Afghanistan and the
decision-making and diplomacy that finally brought Soviet troops
out, with a wealth of new information and much deeper insight than
we had before into what really happened."--Don Oberdorfer, former
Diplomatic Correspondent, The Washington Post
"Diego Cordovez is one of the most astute and imaginative diplomats
it has been my good fortune to know in some 30 years in the State
Department. He applied all his many talents to seeking an end to
the Afghan bloodletting; he did so with energy, perseverance, and
verve. It was a pleasure to work with him in the search for peace,
just as it has been a pleasure to read this absorbing account of
his part in that search."--Lawrence S. Eagleburger, former
Secretary
of State
"The UN role in bringing about the withdrawal of Soviet forces from
Afghanistan is one of momentous historical importance. Out of
Afghanistan will undoubtedly rank as the definitive account of the
negotiations leading up to the Geneva Accords and of the political
struggles over the withdrawal in Moscow, Washington, Kabul, and
Islamabad. Diego Cordovez and Selig Harrison have given us a vivid
narrative, filled with significant new disclosures, that will
be of profound interest to all students of foreign affairs and
contemporary history. This is an outstanding contribution to the
emerging debate over how and why the cold war ended."--Cyrus Vance,
former
Secretary of State
"A major addition to the literature of modern
diplomacy."--Publishers Weekly
"Cordovez and Harrison have written an insider's account that will
serve as the basis for all future histories of the Afghan invasion
and great power relations of the 1980s."--School Library
Journal
"The first full account of the Soviet withdrawal [from Afghanistan]
is now available and is destined to be the classic work on the
subject."--Jonathan Steele, Manchester Guardian Weekly
"...Readers who relish first-person tales will find much here which
is compelling."--The Historian
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