Strobe Talbott was the architect of the Clinton administration's
policy toward Russia and the other states of the former Soviet
Union. He served as deputy secretary of state for even years. A
former Time magazine columnist and Washington bureau chief, he is
the translator-editor of Nikita Khrushchev's memoirs and the author
of six books on U.S.-Soviet relations. He is now director of the
Yale Center for the Study of Globalization.
From the Hardcover edition.
“A dexterous . . . engrossing account.”—The New York Times
“The best sort of political memoir.”—Foreign Affairs
“A unique document, by turns racy, scholarly, personal, and always
of our time. We shall not read its like for a long while.”—John le
Carré
“Excellent.”—Time
“Fascinating and compelling reading—this book is at once a serious
political-science text and a work of high comedy. Strobe Talbott
has given us a marvelous window on a rare moment of important and
delicate diplomacy between the United States and Russia and, more
important, those two most unlikely partners, Bill Clinton and Boris
Yeltsin.”—David Halberstam
“A savvy insider’s account of the diplomatic twists and turns of
U.S.– Russia relations in the ’90s, Talbott’s anecdote-stuffed book
is a treasure trove for Russia specialists. But it will also
fascinate anyone with an interest in the personal dynamics of
statecraft.”—BusinessWeek
“The Russia Hand is easily one of the best memoirs of
presidential diplomacy ever written. With his great command of
history, gift of language, sense of detail and eight years at the
center of American foreign-policy making, Strobe Talbott has
brought us a fascinating, often surprising account of a historic
and pivotal period. The Russia Hand shows us what a
complex and impressive achievement it was for the United States to
build a lasting relationship with its old enemy of half a century.
When historians begin to assess the presidency of Bill Clinton,
this book will be basic and mandatory reading.”—Michael
Beschloss
“A fascinating portrait of diplomacy as it really works (and
sometimes doesn’t), written with clarity and grace by a wise
man.”—Evan Thomas
“Once again Strobe Talbott has written an important and insightful
diplomatic history. This richly crafted book, the first
authoritative inside account of President Clinton’s personal
diplomacy with Russian presidents Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin,
could have been written only by Talbott, with his reporter’s eye
for the telling anecdote, his deep knowledge of Russia and his
intimate personal involvement in the events he describes.”—Hendrick
L. Smith
“I read [The Russia Hand] as if it were a detective novel—I was
unable to put it down until late in the night, picked it up again
first thing in the morning, and didn’t stop until I had
finished.”—Anne Applebaum, Slate
“Readers will . . . relish Talbott’s intimate portraits of the two
leaders, down to the challenging task of maneuvering around
Yeltsin’s flagrant alcoholism.”—Salon
“Talbott . . . is a keen and insightful observer as well as a key
player in the story. Anyone interested in U.S.–Russian relations
will find his new book a source of riches.”—BookPage
“Talbott brings to the task his abundant reportorial skills,
producing voluminous previously undisclosed details on the
management of our relations through multiple crises, from NATO
expansion to the war with Serbia over Kosovo.”—San Jose Mercury
News
Talbott (At the Higher Levels), Clinton's top adviser on Russia policy and deputy secretary of state from 1994 to 2001, recalls the president musing, "the thing about Yeltsin I really like... is that he's not a Russian bureaucrat. He's an Irish poet. He sees politics as a novel he's writing or a symphony he's composing.... It's why he's better than the others. But it's also his shortcoming." In this memoir of his years in the State Department, Talbott traces the evolving relationship between Clinton and the mercurial Yeltsin, recalls his own encounters with key Russian and American players (including some colorful cameos of Nixon) and describes how he and his State Department colleagues negotiated nettlesome issues like arms control, the expansion of NATO, the cease-fire in Chechnya and American missile defense. Yeltsin weathered several near-disasters as Russia's first post-Soviet leader, such as the shelling of his residence by Communist opposition in 1993, an election he nearly lost to a Communist rival in 1996 and the country's economic collapse in 1998 not to mention his own alcoholism, depression and ill health. Talbott movingly depicts Clinton's steadfast, affectionate loyalty toward "Ol' Boris" through these crises a devotion that sometimes went against the advice of his Russia experts. Talbott also expresses reservations about Yeltsin's successor, Putin, whom he describes as part of a sea change in Russian politics over the last few years from "unabashedly pro-Western reformers... toward nationalistic bureaucrats." Though there's probably too much detailed policy analysis for general readers, Talbott is a fluid and often engaging writer, and those who are wonkishly inclined should enjoy his war stories. (On sale June 4) Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.
"A dexterous . . . engrossing account."-The New York
Times
"The best sort of political memoir."-Foreign Affairs
"A unique document, by turns racy, scholarly, personal, and always
of our time. We shall not read its like for a long while."-John
le Carre
"Excellent."-Time
"Fascinating and compelling reading-this book is at once a serious
political-science text and a work of high comedy. Strobe Talbott
has given us a marvelous window on a rare moment of important and
delicate diplomacy between the United States and Russia and, more
important, those two most unlikely partners, Bill Clinton and Boris
Yeltsin."-David Halberstam
"A savvy insider's account of the diplomatic twists and turns of
U.S.- Russia relations in the '90s, Talbott's anecdote-stuffed book
is a treasure trove for Russia specialists. But it will also
fascinate anyone with an interest in the personal dynamics of
statecraft."-BusinessWeek
"The Russia Hand is easily one of the best memoirs of
presidential diplomacy ever written. With his great command of
history, gift of language, sense of detail and eight years at the
center of American foreign-policy making, Strobe Talbott has
brought us a fascinating, often surprising account of a historic
and pivotal period. The Russia Hand shows us what a complex and
impressive achievement it was for the United States to build a
lasting relationship with its old enemy of half a century. When
historians begin to assess the presidency of Bill Clinton, this
book will be basic and mandatory reading."-Michael
Beschloss
"A fascinating portrait of diplomacy as it really works (and
sometimes doesn't), written with clarity and grace by a wise
man."-Evan Thomas
"Once again Strobe Talbott has written an important and insightful
diplomatic history. This richly crafted book, the first
authoritative inside account of President Clinton's personal
diplomacy with Russian presidents Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin,
could have been written only by Talbott, with his reporter's eye
for the telling anecdote, his deep knowledge of Russia and his
intimate personal involvement in the events he
describes."-Hendrick L. Smith
"I read [The Russia Hand] as if it were a detective novel-I was
unable to put it down until late in the night, picked it up again
first thing in the morning, and didn't stop until I had
finished."-Anne Applebaum, Slate
"Readers will . . . relish Talbott's intimate portraits of the two
leaders, down to the challenging task of maneuvering around
Yeltsin's flagrant alcoholism."-Salon
"Talbott . . . is a keen and insightful observer as well as a key
player in the story. Anyone interested in U.S.-Russian relations
will find his new book a source of riches."-BookPage
"Talbott brings to the task his abundant reportorial skills,
producing voluminous previously undisclosed details on the
management of our relations through multiple crises, from NATO
expansion to the war with Serbia over Kosovo."-San Jose
Mercury
News
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