From Sadat to Saddam: The Decline of American Diplomacy in the Middle East

279 Pages·2019·8.19 MB·English

by  David J. Dunford

FROM SADAT TO SADDAM

F R O M
S A D A T

T O
S A D D A M
The Decline of American Diplomacy
in the Middle East
.
david j dunford
Potomac Books
an imprint of the university of nebraska press
© 2019 by David J. Dunford
All rights reserved. Potomac Books is an imprint of the Uni-
versity of Nebraska Press.
Manufactured in the United States of America.
All photos courtesy of the author.
Library of Congress Cataloging- in- Publication Data
Names: Dunford, David J., author.
Title: From Sadat to Saddam: the decline of American diplo-
macy in the Middle East / David J. Dunford.
Description: Lincoln, Nebraska: Potomac Books, An imprint
of the University of Nebraska Press, 2019. | Includes bibli-
ographical references and index.
Identifiers: lccn 2019005301
isbn 9781640121577 (cloth: alk. paper)
isbn 9781640122475 (epub)
isbn 9781640122482 (mobi)
isbn 9781640122499 (pdf)
Subjects: lcsh: Dunford, David J. | Diplomats— United
States— Biography. | Ambassadors— United States—
Biography. | United States— Foreign relations— Middle East. |
Middle East— Foreign relations— United States.
Classification: lcc e840.8.d865 a3 2019 | ddc 327.2092
[B]— dc23
lc record available at https:// lccn .loc .gov/ 2019005301
Set in Minion Pro by Mikala R. Kolander.
For Sandy, who is a full partner in my life
and all my diplomatic adventures
Diplomacy is always going to consist to some extent
of serving people who do not know that they are being
served, who do not know that they need to be served,
who misunderstand and occasionally abuse the
very effort to serve them.
George Kennan
CONTENTS
Acknowledgments . . ix
Introduction . . xi
List of Abbreviations . . xv
1. Cairo: Drinking from the Nile . . 1
2. Washington: Egypt and Crisis Management . . 25
3. Riyadh: Chinese Missiles . . 51
4. Riyadh: Desert Shield and Desert Storm . . 75
5. Muscat: Leading an Embassy . . 101
6. Cairo: Banking on Peace . . 129
7. Baghdad: Wait, What? We’re Invading Iraq? . . 157
8. Tucson: Working with the Troops . . 189
Conclusion: Toward an Effective U.S. Diplomacy . . 217
Notes . . 233
Index . . 237

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Dr. James A. “Andy” Sheppard, president of Thomas University in
Thomasville, Georgia, is the godfather of this writing project. We
have been friends and collaborators since the day in January 2011
that I showed up on his doorstep (he was then dean of academic
affairs at Southwestern College in Winfield, Kansas) as a Wood-
row Wilson Visiting Fellow. He was aware that I had an itch that I
needed to scratch, and he put me in touch with people in the pub-
lishing industry who helped me shape the basic idea of the book.
He then guided me in how to put together the book proposal
that found its way to Potomac Books. He read the entire manu-
script, provided valuable suggestions, and caught many mistakes
and omissions. Most important, when my morale needed a boost,
Andy was always ready with encouraging words.
Many thanks to Tom Swanson at Potomac Books, who was will-
ing to read and champion a book proposal that came in over the
transom. Abigail Stryker was invaluable in guiding me through
the many steps required to get the manuscript in shape for the edi-
tors. I was blown away by how quickly and comprehensively Abby
handled my questions and requests for assistance. I am grateful
also to my skilled and patient project editor, Ann Baker, and to
my thorough and professional copyeditor, Walt Evans. Thanks also
to the rest of the superb Potomac team who helped me along the
way, including Rosemary Sekora, Annie Shahan, and Tish Fobben.
When my memory sputtered, I reached out to several former col-
leagues to fill in the blanks. Henry Precht, my boss in Cairo and my
ix