Negotiating the New START Treaty (Rapid Communications in Conflict & Security Series)

Negotiating the New START Treaty (Rapid Communications in Conflict & Security Series)

Rose Gottemoeller, the US chief negotiator of the New START treaty—and the first woman to lead a major nuclear arms negotiation—delivers in this book an invaluable insider’s account of the negotiations between the US and Russian delegations in Geneva in 2009 and 2010. It also examines the crucially important discussions about the treaty between President Barack Obama and President Dmitry Medvedev, and it describes the tough negotiations Gottemoeller and her team went through to gain the support of the Senate for the treaty. And importantly, at a time when the US Congress stands deeply divided, it tells the story of how, in a previous time of partisan division, Republicans and Democrats came together to ratify a treaty to safeguard the future of all Americans. Rose Gottemoeller is uniquely qualified to write this book, bringing to the task not only many years of high-level experience in creating and enacting US policy on arms control and compliance but also a profound understanding of the broader politico-military context from her time as NATO Deputy Secretary General. Thanks to her years working with Russians, including as Director of the Carnegie Moscow Center, she provides rare insights into the actions of the Russian delegation—and the dynamics between Medvedev and then-Prime Minister Vladimir Putin. Her encyclopedic recall of the events and astute ability to analyze objectively, while laying out her own thoughts and feelings at the time, make this both an invaluable document of record—and a fascinating story. In conveying the sense of excitement and satisfaction in delivering an innovative arms control instrument for the American people and by laying out the lessons Gottemoeller and her colleagues learned, this book will serve as an inspiration for the next generation of negotiators, as a road map for them as they learn and practice their trade, and as a blueprint to inform the shaping and ratification of future treaties. This book has received outstanding recommendations, including the following: “As advances in technology usher in a new age of weaponry, future negotiators would benefit from reading Rose Gottemoeller’s memoir of the process leading to the most significant arms control agreement of recent decades.” —Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State “Rose Gottemoeller’s book on the New START negotiations is the definitive book on this treaty or indeed, any of the nuclear treaties with the Soviet Union or Russia. These treaties played a key role in keeping the hostility between the United States and the Soviet Union from breaking out into a civilization-ending war. But her story of the New START negotiation is no dry academic treatise. She tells with wit and charm the human story of the negotiators, as well as the critical issues involved. Rose’s book is an important and well-told story about the last nuclear treaty negotiated between the US and Russia.” —William J. Perry, former U.S. Secretary of Defense “This book is important, but not just because it tells you about a very significant past, but also because it helps you understand the future.” — George Shultz, former U.S. Secretary of State "As advances in technology usher in a new age of weaponry, future negotiators would benefit from reading Rose Gottemoeller's memoir of the process leading to the most significant arms control agreement of recent decades." -Henry Kissinger, former U.S. Secretary of State "Rose Gottemoeller's book on the New START negotiations is the definitive book on this treaty or indeed, any of the nuclear treaties with the Soviet Union or Russia." -William J. Perry, former U.S. Secretary of Defense "This book is important, but not just because it tells you about a very significant past, but also because it helps you understand the future." - George Shultz, former U.S. Secretary of State "This memoir by one of our most skilled and respected diplomats provides both inspiration and valuable lessons for those who will follow in her shoes with this enormous responsibility." -Sam Nunn, Chairman of the Board of the Nuclear Threat Initiative "A deeply informed, highly readable, and timely analysis of one of the most important nuclear treaties in recent history .. an invaluable guide for understanding the craft of arms control negotiations, as well as the critical role and responsibility of skillful, knowledgeable, and determined negotiators." -Fiona Hill, Senior Fellow, Foreign Policy Program, The Brookings Institution "What makes this such a timely offering is the wisdom born of success that can help guide Washington's next phase of critical negotiations with Moscow. This extraordinary firsthand account is indispensable reading of arguably the most important national security issue of our time." - Jon Huntsman, former Governor of Utah, former U.S. Ambassador to China, Russia, and Singapore "A major contribution to arms control history and to diplomacy, and it is likely to feature in international relations syllabi in th