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John Brady Kiesling

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John Brady Kiesling
Born1957
Houston, Texas
NationalityUnited States
Alma materUniversity of California, Berkeley
Swarthmore College
Occupation(s)Diplomat
Author
Lecturer
Notable workDiplomacy Lessons: Realism for an Unloved Superpower
Notes

John Brady Kiesling is a former U.S. diplomat and the author of "Diplomacy Lessons: Realism for an Unloved Superpower" (Potomac Books 2006). He was the first of three U.S. foreign service officers to resign, on February 25, 2003, to protest against the 2003 invasion of Iraq. His letter of resignation to Secretary of State Colin Powell was posted by the New York Times and circulated widely.[2]

An archaeologist/ancient historian by training, Kiesling entered the foreign service in 1983. He served in Israel, Morocco, Greece, Washington, and Armenia, returning to Athens as chief of the political section of the U.S. Embassy in 2000.

After his resignation, Kiesling spent a year as a visiting fellow/lecturer at Princeton University, and then returned to Athens. Until May 2009, he wrote a monthly column called "Diplomat in the Ruins" in the "Athens News" in Greece.[citation needed] Kiesling supported the multilateralist foreign policy of former President George H.W. Bush and the limited purposes of the 1991 Gulf War.[3]

Mr. Kiesling's personal crisis began in October, at a diplomatic party in Athens. He ran into an old friend and source from a stint in Athens 15 years earlier, a Communist who had spent years in Greek prisons. The pair had always sparred politically, but a warm friendship endured. He holed up and read, but the cloud of despair wouldn't lift. Finally, in late February, when Mr. Bush made clear he wouldn't be defied, even by the U.N. Security Council, Mr. Kiesling drafted his resignation letter and quit. Suddenly, he felt "a certain lucidity, a strong, liberating feeling," he says.[4]

Books

  • Rediscovering Armenia: An Archaeological/Touristic Gazetteer and Map Set for the Historical Monuments of Armenia. Yerevan: Tigran Mets, 2001. ISBN 99930-52-28-0. ("PDF version" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2006-04-30. Retrieved 2006-04-30. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)) 2nd ed. Matit, 2005. ISBN 99941-0-121-8.
  • Diplomacy Lessons: Realism for an Unloved Superpower. Washington, DC: Potomac, 2006. ISBN 1-59797-017-4.
  • Greek Urban Warriors: Resistance and Terrorism 1967-2014. Athens: Lycabettus, 2014. ISBN 9789607269553.

References

  1. ^ Kiesling, John Brady. "Personal Information". bradykiesling.com. Retrieved 2011-06-04.
  2. ^ Kiesling, John Brady (2003-02-27). "U.S. Diplomat's Letter of Resignation". The New York Times. Retrieved 2011-01-18.
  3. ^ Deep Smarts: How to Cultivate and Transfer Enduring Business Wisdom - Page 137 by Walter C. Swap, Dorothy Leonard-Barton
  4. ^ Waldman, Peter (April 1, 2003). "After Resigning to Protest War, A Diplomat Turns Peace Envoy". The Wall Street Journal. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |subscription= ignored (|url-access= suggested) (help)
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