The Dissent Papers

The Voices of Diplomats in the Cold War and Beyond

Nonfiction, Social & Cultural Studies, Political Science, International, International Relations, History, Americas, United States
Cover of the book The Dissent Papers by Hannah Gurman, Columbia University Press
View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart
Author: Hannah Gurman ISBN: 9780231530354
Publisher: Columbia University Press Publication: January 24, 2012
Imprint: Columbia University Press Language: English
Author: Hannah Gurman
ISBN: 9780231530354
Publisher: Columbia University Press
Publication: January 24, 2012
Imprint: Columbia University Press
Language: English

Beginning with the Cold War and concluding with the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Hannah Gurman explores the overlooked opposition of U.S. diplomats to American foreign policy in the latter half of the twentieth century. During America's reign as a dominant world power, U.S. presidents and senior foreign policy officials largely ignored or rejected their diplomats' reports, memos, and telegrams, especially when they challenged key policies relating to the Cold War, China, and the wars in Vietnam and Iraq. The Dissent Papers recovers these diplomats' invaluable perspective and their commitment to the transformative power of diplomatic writing.

Gurman showcases the work of diplomats whose opposition enjoyed some success. George Kennan, John Stewart Service, John Paton Davies, George Ball, and John Brady Kiesling all caught the attention of sitting presidents and policymakers, achieving temporary triumphs yet ultimately failing to change the status quo. Gurman follows the circulation of documents within the State Department, the National Security Council, the C.I.A., and the military, and she details the rationale behind "The Dissent Channel," instituted by the State Department in the 1970s, to both encourage and contain dissent. Advancing an alternative narrative of modern U.S. history, she connects the erosion of the diplomatic establishment and the weakening of the diplomatic writing tradition to larger political and ideological trends while, at the same time, foreshadowing the resurgent significance of diplomatic writing in the age of Wikileaks.

View on Amazon View on AbeBooks View on Kobo View on B.Depository View on eBay View on Walmart

Beginning with the Cold War and concluding with the 2003 invasion of Iraq, Hannah Gurman explores the overlooked opposition of U.S. diplomats to American foreign policy in the latter half of the twentieth century. During America's reign as a dominant world power, U.S. presidents and senior foreign policy officials largely ignored or rejected their diplomats' reports, memos, and telegrams, especially when they challenged key policies relating to the Cold War, China, and the wars in Vietnam and Iraq. The Dissent Papers recovers these diplomats' invaluable perspective and their commitment to the transformative power of diplomatic writing.

Gurman showcases the work of diplomats whose opposition enjoyed some success. George Kennan, John Stewart Service, John Paton Davies, George Ball, and John Brady Kiesling all caught the attention of sitting presidents and policymakers, achieving temporary triumphs yet ultimately failing to change the status quo. Gurman follows the circulation of documents within the State Department, the National Security Council, the C.I.A., and the military, and she details the rationale behind "The Dissent Channel," instituted by the State Department in the 1970s, to both encourage and contain dissent. Advancing an alternative narrative of modern U.S. history, she connects the erosion of the diplomatic establishment and the weakening of the diplomatic writing tradition to larger political and ideological trends while, at the same time, foreshadowing the resurgent significance of diplomatic writing in the age of Wikileaks.

More books from Columbia University Press

Cover of the book Creative Strategy by Hannah Gurman
Cover of the book The Bronx by Hannah Gurman
Cover of the book Tamil Oratory and the Dravidian Aesthetic by Hannah Gurman
Cover of the book David Foster Wallace's Balancing Books by Hannah Gurman
Cover of the book Prose of the World by Hannah Gurman
Cover of the book Heritage Film by Hannah Gurman
Cover of the book War Over Kosovo by Hannah Gurman
Cover of the book Film Censorship by Hannah Gurman
Cover of the book Contesting Citizenship by Hannah Gurman
Cover of the book The Cinema of Raúl Ruiz by Hannah Gurman
Cover of the book Politics of Culture and the Spirit of Critique by Hannah Gurman
Cover of the book In Love and Struggle by Hannah Gurman
Cover of the book Pursuing Privacy in Cold War America by Hannah Gurman
Cover of the book Exception Taken by Hannah Gurman
Cover of the book The Struggle for Form by Hannah Gurman
We use our own "cookies" and third party cookies to improve services and to see statistical information. By using this website, you agree to our Privacy Policy