by Glenn KesslerFrom the publisher:
In his riveting glimpse into the life of one of the most powerful Secretaries of State in recent years, Washington Post diplomatic correspondent Glenn Kessler provides not only a revealing look at Condoleezza Rice but a rich portrait of the Bush administration’s controversial foreign policy regime. From her grievous errors in judgment as national security advisor to her notable influence over the president as Secretary of State, Rice has not gone unnoticed during her rise to power. But, as an intensely private person, she has—despite endless media attention—remained a mystery. As the first critical examination of Rice's skills as policy-maker, politician and manager, this definitive biography explains not only her rise to power, but the pivotal role she has played in our nation’s history.
Full of candor as well as honesty, The Confidante shows unseen moments in Rice’s life and of her frequently divisive performance during one of the most tumultuous foreign-policy periods in U.S. history. Drawing on personal interviews with Rice, an intimacy afforded to Kessler as one of the few reporters granted the opportunity to travel with her, Kessler takes readers inside the secret meetings Rice has held with foreign leaders and even her private conversations with President Bush. With access to all of Rice's top aides and sources in many overseas governments, Kessler also provides dramatic new information about one of the most secretive administrations in U.S. history. He shows how Rice molded herself into the image of a globe-trotting diplomatic super star, negating memories of her past failures. He exposes new details about hersecret role in Israel's withdrawal from Gaza, her maneuvers around government bureaucracy to strike a pivotal nuclear-energy deal with India, her persuasion of Bush to support a dramatic gesture to Iran, her failure to prevent the North Korean nuclear test, and her struggle to contain the devastating war between Israel and Lebanon. This brilliantly written book reveals not only her public and private humiliation of foreign officials but also how her charm and grace have been successful assets in repairing fractured relations overseas.
Condoleezza Rice remains today and in the future one of the most alluring, controversial, and ultimately influential decision makers in the United States. With this captivating work, Kessler shows what traits could solidify her shot at greatness or what cracks in her hard veneer could send her career hurtling to ruin.
GLENN KESSLER is a diplomatic correspondent for The Washington Post and has been recipient of numerous awards, including two shared Pulitzer Prizes. Kessler, a member of the Council on Foreign Relations, has reported from dozens of countries and also has covered the White House and Congress. He is a graduate of Brown University and Columbia University's School of International and Public Affairs and lives in McLean, Virginia.
From the critics:
Journalistic account of Condoleezza Rice's tenure as Secretary of State from a veteran reporter who covered it for the Washington Post. Although Rice is the focal point, this is really a history of the last three years in international affairs. Kessler delivers fly-on-the-wall coverage as the most powerful woman in the world travels the earth attempting to cool off global hotspots. His chatty chapter titles ("Rebirth in Paris," "Passage to New Delhi," Blowup Over Beirut") belie a deeply reported analysis. Kessler paints Rice as a smart, sophisticated diplomat stuck between a bellicose administration and an increasingly restless global community. After 9/11, this scholar of Soviet Russia trained in the realist school of foreign policy suddenly adopted her president's messianic worldview, favoring the promotion of democracy at the expense of all else. Her handlers try to position Rice for an eventual White House run, but Kessler argues that her tenure as Secretary has left the country in a far worse position than she found it. She failed, he argues, to articulate a serious vision for the future and is undercut by elements in the administration, such as Cheney and Rumsfeld, who favor a more isolationist approach. The book doesn't cover very much new ground, instead providing an in-depth look at how decisions of world-historical importance get made. Those looking for gossipy speculation about what motivates the unmarried Rice, a child of Southern segregation turned Stanford provost, will be disappointed. Readers curious about what really happens when she sits across from her counterparts in Riyadh, Khartoum and Baghdad will find this up-the-minute account revealing. Good for newcomers seekinginsight into contemporary foreign policy. - Kirkus
