Drawing on a trove of newly declassified cables, memos, and personal recollections, Burns recounts his journey from the end of the Cold War through the upheavals of the Middle East and the secret Iran nuclear negotiations. His memoir is filled with vivid, novelistic detail, from dispatches out of war-torn Chechnya to surreal meetings with Muammar Qaddafi in the Libyan desert. Burns’s writing brings to life the day-to-day realities of diplomacy, including the ethical dilemmas, personal sacrifices, and the persistent effort required to manage—if not always solve—global crises.

Burns is candid about both the successes and shortcomings of American foreign policy, offering a brutally honest assessment of how the U.S. has navigated shifting global power dynamics. He is particularly critical of the growing militarization of foreign policy and the diminishing role of the State Department, making a passionate argument for diplomacy as America’s essential “tool of first resort.” Throughout, he underscores the importance of back channel communications—those informal, discreet conversations that often make real progress possible when official channels stall.

The book is also rich with personal anecdotes and revealing portraits of key figures, from world leaders to fellow diplomats. Burns weaves in stories about his family and the human side of diplomatic life, grounding the narrative in both historical events and everyday realities. He provides a compelling overview of how diplomacy has succeeded, where it has failed, and what must change for it to thrive in the future.