Ambassador Stuart Eizenstat will present on topics from his new book “The Art of Diplomacy: How American Negotiators Reached Historic Agreements that Changed the World.” Free, 7:30pm. Presented in cooperation with The Jewish Federation of the Berkshires and OLLI at Knesset Israel.

At a time when the world is in turmoil and American leadership is being challenged, Ambassador Stuart E. Eizenstat recounts in The Art of Diplomacy: How American Negotiators Reached Historic Agreements that Changed the World, America’s most significant and consequential negotiations over the past fifty years. These include efforts to resolve conflicts from the Middle East peace process to “The Troubles” in Northern Ireland, and lingering issues of World War II, from the reunification of Germany to justice for Holocaust survivors. Eizenstat addresses the use of American military force as an instrument of diplomacy, drawing lessons that are applicable to today’s conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.

Eizenstat, a former top White House aide, U.S. ambassador, undersecretary of state, and deputy secretary of the treasury who has served in six presidential administrations, played a leading role himself in several of these negotiations, and he has also personally interviewed more than 125 U.S. and international leaders, including some of the greatest practitioners of the art of diplomacy. In this way he provides a 360-degree view of international negotiations at the highest level, seen through the eyes of those officials most directly involved. Eizenstat brings to life the personalities, issues, obstacles, and dramatic breakthroughs that have created the world we live in today. He shows how the United States has been the indispensable leader: sometimes as a direct negotiator seeking a desired outcome; sometimes as a mediator between contesting parties; sometimes wielding military force to achieve a political goal; and sometimes as an advocate for global cooperation on issues like international trade and climate change.

Join us for this informative and thought-provoking event to hear about some of the subjects of the book. Books will be available for purchase.