The good American : the epic life and adventures of Bob Gersony, the U.S. Government's greatest humanitarian

From the New York Time s bestselling author of The Revenge of Geography comes a sweeping yet intimate story of the most influential humanitarian you’ve never heard of—Bob Gersony, who spent four decades in crisis zones around the world. “One of the best accounts examining American humanitarian pursuits over the past fifty years . . . With still greater challenges on the horizon, we will need to find and empower more people like Bob Gersony—both idealistic and pragmatic—who can help make the world a more secure place.”— The Washington Post In his long career as an acclaimed journalist covering the “hot” moments of the Cold War and its aftermath, bestselling author Robert D. Kaplan often found himself crossing paths with Bob Gersony, a consultant for the U.S. State Department whose quiet dedication and consequential work made a deep impression on Kaplan. Gersony, a high school dropout later awarded a Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam, conducted on-the-ground research for the U.S. government in virtually every war and natural-disaster zone in the world. In Thailand, Central and South America, Sudan, Chad, Mozambique, Rwanda, Gaza, Bosnia, North Korea, Iraq, and beyond, Gersony never flinched from entering dangerous areas that diplomats could not reach, sometimes risking his own life. Gersony’s behind-the scenes fact-finding, which included interviews with hundreds of refugees and displaced persons from each war zone and natural-disaster area, often challenged the assumptions and received wisdom of the powers that be, on both the left and the right. In nearly every case, his advice and recommendations made American policy at once smarter and more humane—often dramatically so. In Gersony, Kaplan saw a powerful example of how American diplomacy should be conducted. In a work that exhibits Kaplan’s signature talent for combining travel and geography with sharp political analysis, The Good American tells Gersony’s powerful life story. Set during the State Department’s golden age, this is a story about the loneliness, sweat, and tears and the genuine courage that characterized Gersony’s work in far-flung places. It is also a celebration of ground-level reporting: a page-turning demonstration, by one of our finest geopolitical thinkers, of how getting an up-close, worm’s-eye view of crises and applying sound reason can elicit world-changing results. From the New York Times bestselling author of The Revenge of Geography comes a sweeping yet intimate story of the most influential humanitarian you've never heard of'Bob Gersony, who spent four decades in crisis zones around the world. In his long career as an acclaimed journalist covering the "hot" moments of the Cold War and its aftermath, bestselling author Robert D. Kaplan often found himself crossing paths with a man called Bob Gersony, a consultant for the U.S. State Department whose quiet dedication and consequential work, often underappreciated, made a deep impression on Kaplan. Gersony, a high school dropout later awarded a Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam, conducted on-the-ground research for theU.S. government in virtually every war and natural-disaster zone in the world. In Thailand, Central and South America, Sudan, Chad, Mozambique, Rwanda, Gaza, Bosnia, North Korea, Iraq, and beyond, Gersony never flinched from entering dangerous areas that diplomats could not reach, sometimes risking his life in order to better understand the nature of a conflict. Gersony's behind-the scenes fact-finding, which included interviews with hundreds of refugees and displaced persons from each war zone and natural-disaster area, often challenged the assumptions and received wisdom of the powers that be, on both the left and the right. For years he worked with his notebook in hand, getting to the truth of what was going on, so as to inform the decisions and policies made back home. In nearly every case, his advice and recommendations made American policy at once smarter and more humane'often dramatically so. In Gersony, Kaplan saw a powerful example of how Americandiplomacy should be conducted'with a clear eye toward facts on the ground'and he found a paradigmatic approach to the world in which humanitarian and realpolitik considerations were not mutually exclusive. In the midst of the tension and proxy battles of the Cold War, Gersony's clear-eyed reports and recommendations not only preserved the United States's strategic goals; they also saved the lives of the most vulnerable around the world, regardless of political alignment. In a work that exhibits Kaplan's signature talent for combining travel and geography with sharp political analysis, The Good American tells Gersony's powerful life story. In so doing, it brings the reader to vibrant settings around the world, revealing one man's immense impact on U.S. foreign policy in a pivotal period of American history. This is a revelatory, essential book for the times we now live in, when diplomacy, hard facts, and humanitarian concerns are too often being left behind. Set during the State Department's golden age'the late Cold War and post'Cold War'this is a story about the loneliness, sweat, and tears and the genuine courage that characterized Gersony's work in far-flung places. It is also a celebration of ground-level reporting: a page-turning demonstration, by one of our finest geopol From?the? New York Time s bestselling author of? The?Revenge of Geography comes a sweeping yet intimate story of?the?most influential humanitarian you?ve never heard of?Bob Gersony, who spent four decades in crisis zones around?the?world. "This graceful study of a courageous and humble man reminds us that history can be made, and lives can be saved,? by diplomats? who? know how to reconcile the good with the possible."?Timothy Snyder, author of? The Road to Unfreedom? and? On Tyranny? In his long career as an acclaimed journalist covering?the?"hot" moments of?the?Cold War and its aftermath, bestselling author Robert D. Kaplan often found himself crossing paths with Bob Gersony, a consultant for?the?U.S. State Department whose quiet dedication and consequential work made a deep impression on Kaplan. Gersony, a high school dropout later awarded a Bronze Star for his service in Vietnam, conducted on-the-ground research for?the U.S. government in virtually every war and natural-disaster zone in?the?world. In Thailand, Central and South America, Sudan, Chad, Mozambique, Rwanda, Gaza, Bosnia, North Korea, Iraq, and beyond, Gersony never flinched from entering dangerous areas that diplomats could not reach, sometimes risking his own life. Gersony?s behind-the?scenes fact-finding, which included interviews with hundreds of refugees and displaced persons from each war zone and natural-disaster area, often challenged the?assumptions and received wisdom of?the?powers that be, on both?the?left and?the?right. In nearly every case, his advice and recommendations made American?policy at once smarter and more humane?often dramatically so. In Gersony, Kaplan saw a powerful example of how?American diplomacy should be conducted. In a work that exhibits Kaplan?s signature talent for combining travel and geography with sharp political analysis, The Good American tells Gersony?s powerful life story. Set during?the?State Department?s golden age, this is a story about?the?loneliness, sweat, and tears and?the?genuine courage that characterized Gersony?s work in far-flung places. It is also a celebration of ground-level reporting: a page-turning demonstration, by one of our finest geopolitical thinkers, of how getting an up-close, worm?s-eye view of crises and applying sound reason can elicit world-changing results "The Good American is a story about courage, intense loneliness, and the State Department's golden age during the late Cold War and post-Cold War. It is also a celebration of ground level reporting and getting a worm's eye view of crisis zones. Robert Gersony, a high-school dropout later awarded a bronze star in Vietnam, spent over four decades on the ground in virtually every war and natural disaster zone in the world. Interviewing hundreds of refugees and displaced persons in each place to assess humanitarian crises, Gersony's research and thorough reports had an immense, underappreciated impact on US foreign policy across the globe. In every case, his recommendations made it smarter and more humane, often dramatically so. In his career as a journalist, Robert D. Kaplan often crossed paths with Gersony while covering the "hot" moments of the Cold War and its aftermath. Even as a biography, this is Kaplan's most personal book to date, and through Gersony's story, he makes a poignant case for how American diplomacy should be conducted--with a clear eye toward facts on the ground--at a time when diplomacy is too often being left behind."-- Provided by publisher