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A review by greatlibraryofalexandra
War on Peace: The End of Diplomacy and the Decline of American Influence by Ronan Farrow
3.0
I’m giving this three stars, and it’s not really for content, but more for organization. I think Farrow is an excellent, engaging writer and his work here is phenomenal. As someone who spends a majority of my time working on “mahogany row,” I appreciated the familiarity of the book and the accuracy of State Department “feel” that was throughout it. Having just finished Madeleine Albright’s memoirs, it was particularly moving to read the Holbrooke-focused chapter.
However, I thought the book was formatted very poorly. Chronologically, it jumped all over the place. It often got very confusing, and I just felt there could have been a more linear process to the point Farrow was trying to make. Instead it came across as a collection of loosely related essays, which softened what should have been a scathing indictment of a diplomatic corps that is increasingly being militarized. As an afterthought, despite my many political agreements with Farrow, I’d say this book suffers from serious selection bias.
However, I thought the book was formatted very poorly. Chronologically, it jumped all over the place. It often got very confusing, and I just felt there could have been a more linear process to the point Farrow was trying to make. Instead it came across as a collection of loosely related essays, which softened what should have been a scathing indictment of a diplomatic corps that is increasingly being militarized. As an afterthought, despite my many political agreements with Farrow, I’d say this book suffers from serious selection bias.