The Russia Hand

Praise

“A dexterous . . . engrossing account.”—The New York Times
 
“The best sort of political memoir.”—Foreign Affairs
 
“A unique document, by turns racy, scholarly, personal, and always of our time. We shall not read its like for a long while.”—John le Carré
 
“Excellent.”—Time
 
“Fascinating and compelling reading—this book is at once a serious political-science text and a work of high comedy. Strobe Talbott has given us a marvelous window on a rare moment of important and delicate diplomacy between the United States and Russia and, more important, those two most unlikely partners, Bill Clinton and Boris Yeltsin.”—David Halberstam
 
“A savvy insider’s account of the diplomatic twists and turns of U.S.– Russia relations in the ’90s, Talbott’s anecdote-stuffed book is a treasure trove for Russia specialists. But it will also fascinate anyone with an interest in the personal dynamics of statecraft.”—BusinessWeek
 
“The Russia Hand is easily one of the best memoirs of presidential diplomacy ever written. With his great command of history, gift of language, sense of detail and eight years at the center of American foreign-policy making, Strobe Talbott has brought us a fascinating, often surprising account of a historic and pivotal period. The Russia Hand shows us what a complex and impressive achievement it was for the United States to build a lasting relationship with its old enemy of half a century. When historians begin to assess the presidency of Bill Clinton, this book will be basic and mandatory reading.”—Michael Beschloss 
 
“A fascinating portrait of diplomacy as it really works (and sometimes doesn’t), written with clarity and grace by a wise man.”—Evan Thomas
 
“Once again Strobe Talbott has written an important and insightful diplomatic history. This richly crafted book, the first authoritative inside account of President Clinton’s personal diplomacy with Russian presidents Boris Yeltsin and Vladimir Putin, could have been written only by Talbott, with his reporter’s eye for the telling anecdote, his deep knowledge of Russia and his intimate personal involvement in the events he describes.”—Hendrick L. Smith 
 
“I read [The Russia Hand] as if it were a detective novel—I was unable to put it down until late in the night, picked it up again first thing in the morning, and didn’t stop until I had finished.”—Anne Applebaum, Slate
 
“Readers will . . . relish Talbott’s intimate portraits of the two leaders, down to the challenging task of maneuvering around Yeltsin’s flagrant alcoholism.”—Salon
 
“Talbott . . . is a keen and insightful observer as well as a key player in the story. Anyone interested in U.S.–Russian relations will find his new book a source of riches.”—BookPage 
 
“Talbott brings to the task his abundant reportorial skills, producing voluminous previously undisclosed details on the management of our relations through multiple crises, from NATO expansion to the war with Serbia over Kosovo.”—San Jose Mercury News