Diplomacy, at its best, can peacefully mediate contentious relations among states. In this book, we see diplomacy in action: its potential, challenges and transformations in the information age. As the senior director for East Asian affairs on the National Security Council from January 2009 until April 2011, Jeffrey Bader has written an accessible and insightful account of US diplomacy toward China during this critical period.
Bader's faith in diplomacy's potential is that of a veteran diplomat and seasoned China-hand. He responds calmly to China's 2009–2010 “incautious and gratuitously assertive diplomacy and actions,” drolly noting “those of us who had decades of experience with China could not recall ever seeing it quietly roll over in the face of foreign demands” (p. 80). He suggests that the Obama administration's firm response fostered a “sober reflection on whether public belligerence really served China's interests” (pp. 105–106). By 2011, Bader's “overall picture” is that of a “strengthened US position in the region, and more constructive Chinese behavior” as well as a “stable US–China political/security relationship” (p. 120).
The book also provides a brief window into internal administration debates over economic policy, with President Obama suggesting his willingness to “throw a few elbows” in a rougher basketball game with Beijing (p. 113). Larry Summers and Timothy Geithner argued that China's negative impact on the US economy was minimal, but the risk of costly retaliatory measures by Beijing was substantial. The team was also concerned that domestic legislation penalizing China might leave the President “not in a position to veto or shape it” (p. 115). The response was diplomacy – sending a high-level delegation in September 2010 that yielded Chinese concessions on currency valuation, market access and prominent commercial purchases in advance of Hu's January 2011 trip.
Bader's faith in quiet diplomacy even extends to the intractable arena of human rights. He describes his role in delaying the Dalai Lama's 2009 visit until after Obama visited China, instead agreeing to send the president's assistant for intergovernmental affairs, Valarie Jarrett, to Dharamsala, while extracting an implicit pledge from Beijing to renew dialogue. Although US media denounced the administration for “kow-towing” to China, Beijing held up its end in this “non-deal deal” by meeting with the Dalai Lama's representatives in January 2010 (p. 75).
As a veteran diplomat, Bader knows the value of leadership. Obama's determination and forthrightness is evident in Bader's gripping first-hand account of the President's last-ditch effort to save a climate change deal in Copenhagen. We see Obama bounding toward the room where Wen Jiabao was huddled with the heads of state of Brazil, South Africa and India, “with startled Chinese security, protocol [officers] and others parting like the Red Sea for Moses.” Obama's declaration upon his surprise entry that “I'd like to sit next to my friend Lula” puts us at the negotiating table in a way that academic analyses rarely do (p. 65).
We watch as Bader learns the importance of managing the media environment. While debating issues like Jackie Chan's attendance at a White House dinner appears mundane, oversights can be costly. After months of delicate negotiations, a single photograph of the Dalai Lama exiting the Oval Office in front of a pile of trash bags required a vigorous public defence. Frustrated, Bader bemoans “the difficulty of conducting a serious foreign policy in a public domain dominated by superficial discourse” (p. 52). Yet he also learns the hard way that “when an attractive but false narrative takes hold, it is very difficult to shake it” (p. 61). After the President was “deeply frustrated” (p. 60) by critical US media coverage during his 2009 China visit, Bader responded with a more concerted focus on public messaging around Hu Jintao's Washington visit in 2011.
While much of the book centres upon China, Bader dedicates two chapters each to Japan and North Korea, with only one brief chapter set aside for South-East Asia. Given the book's concern with China's rise, the US pivot to Asia deserves more attention. A broader issue is the book's focus. Contrary to its title, it is neither a study of Obama nor of China's rise. At points, Bader veers toward memoir format, seeking to set the record straight by reiterating strategic and policy objectives or listing accomplishments. We would benefit instead from more of his vivid descriptions of intriguing personalities, lively policy debates, and contentious diplomatic negotiations.
Ultimately, Bader's signal contribution is to remind us that successful diplomacy requires painstaking planning, creative negotiations and conscientious implementation. It is, at its best, a noble task. Guided by propriety, humility and common sense, Jeffery Bader has written an engaging account of his experiences, valuable for students of US–China relations and for anyone curious about the practice of diplomacy between the world's two greatest powers.
