Politics and Prose
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William J. Burns, "The Back Channel"
Posted
April 7, 2019
Views
11,591
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April 7, 2019
11,591
187
1
1.62%
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1:01:14Now PlayingWilliam J. Burns discusses his book, "The Back Channel", at Politics and Prose on 3/14/19.
President of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Burns has one of the most impressive records of any career diplomat. During his thirty-plus-years in the U.S. Foreign Service, he worked under five presidents, serving as ambassador to Jordan and Russia as well as undersecretary of state and assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern Affairs. His memoir, which draws on newly declassified material, is an invaluable inside look at American diplomacy from the end of the Cold War to the secret nuclear talks with Iran, offering a new perspective on a range of events and figures; Burns’s presentation of the “Perfect Storm” unleashed by the Iraq War alone is bound to reshape future discussions. Burns is in conversation with Evan Osnos, author of the National Book Award winning Age of Ambition.
William J. Burns is president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. 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 undersecretary 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 degree 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.
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Produced by Tom Warren
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