A captivating history of diplomacy-and an urgent reminder of why we need to revive its lost
arts to survive in a dangerous era of great power competitionFrom the beginning of time human
societies have found themselves confronted by enemies too numerous or ferocious to defeat
solely by force of arms. In these dramatic moments wise leaders have turned to diplomacy to
rearrange the gameboard in their favor and stymie seemingly unstoppable foes. In Great Power
Diplomacy American historian and diplomat A. Wess Mitchell recounts the forgotten story of how
history's most legendary empires have used diplomacy as a tool of grand strategy to outwit
outmaneuver and outlast militarily superior opponents. Through fifteen centuries of history
Great Power Diplomacy recreates the perilous junctures colorful personalities and intricate
statecraft that led to some of history's most stunning diplomatic achievements-and greatest
disasters. The protagonists include giants like Richelieu Metternich Bismarck and Kissinger
but also a lesser-known cast of scoundrels eunuchs drunkards and fools. At every turn
fortune favored those great powers with the foresight and dexterity to build winning alliances
splinter enemy coalitions and when necessary make peace with their bitterest foes. Diplomacy
of this kind has become a lost art in recent years as Western elites embraced the illusion that
globalization and the spread of democracy would create a borderless world where nations would
live in harmony and war would be abolished from the human story. But as Great Power Diplomacy
reveals we will need to rediscover the secrets of skillful statecraft as the world enters an
unstable new era in which continent-sized great powers compete for territory resources and
prestige. By recalling diplomacy's rich past we can equip ourselves for a more dangerous
future.
