• Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Europe logoCarnegie lettermark logo
EUUkraine
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "William J. Burns"
  ],
  "type": "other",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "",
  "programs": [],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Foreign Policy"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

Other

The Lost Art of American Diplomacy

The United States is no longer the only big kid on the geopolitical block, and no longer able get everything it wants on its own, or by force alone. This makes diplomacy more important than ever.

Link Copied
By William J. Burns
Published on Mar 27, 2019

Source: Foreign Affairs

Diplomacy may be one of the world’s oldest professions, but it’s also one of the most misunderstood. It’s mostly a quiet endeavor, less swaggering than unrelenting, oftentimes operating in back channels, out of sight and out of mind. U.S. President Donald Trump’s disdain for professional diplomacy and its practitioners—along with his penchant for improvisational flirtations with authoritarian leaders such as North Korea’s Kim Jong Un—has put an unaccustomed spotlight on the profession. It has also underscored the significance of its renewal....

Read Full Text

This article was originally published in Foreign Affairs.

About the Author

William J. Burns

Former Carnegie President (2015-2021)

A former career diplomat, William J. Burns served as director of the CIA, deputy secretary of State, and ambassador to Russia and Jordan. Burns was also president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace from 2015 to 2021.

    Recent Work

  • Research
    Reimagining Transatlantic Relations
      • +8

      William J. Burns, Michael Chertoff, Catherine Ashton, …

  • Commentary
    A New U.S. Foreign Policy for the Post-Pandemic Landscape

      William J. Burns

William J. Burns
Former Carnegie President (2015-2021)
William J. Burns
Foreign PolicyNorth AmericaUnited States

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Europe

  • Commentary
    Turning Russian Assets into Financing for Ukraine Now

    Funding Ukraine remains a priority for European leaders. As Russia’s war of aggression heads into another winter, two feasible options to mobilize support for Kyiv should be fast-tracked.

      Vladyslav Rashkovan, Gregory P. Wilson

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    The EU’s Middle-Power Puzzle

    While the EU and European governments are embracing the much-lauded middle-power moment, this entails three difficult conundrums.

      Richard Youngs

  • The Scramble for Europe. Russia, China, and Turkey Challenging Regional Order
    Book
    The Scramble for Europe. Russia, China, and Turkey Challenging Regional Order

    Europe is facing rising populism internally as well as external pressures from Russia, China, Turkey, and the United States.

      Dimitar Bechev

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    How the EU’s Single Market Could Unlock Enlargement

    Much has been said of the changes Brussels is trying to make to the EU enlargement process. Here’s why gradual integration might—or might not—be the answer.

      Dimitar Bechev

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Taking the Pulse: Can the EU Stare Down China on Trade?

    The European Commissioner for Trade is headed to China. But after President Xi’s bridge-building visit to Washington, can a more isolated EU overcome Beijing’s stranglehold on critical raw materials? Who will blink first?

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz, ed.

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
Carnegie Europe logo, white
Rue du Congrès, 151000 Brussels, Belgium
  • Research
  • Strategic Europe
  • About
  • Experts
  • Projects
  • Events
  • Contact
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Gender Equality Plan
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Europe
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.