The Education of a Statesman

In an era of spiraling global complexity, wicked transnational and existential threats, and institutional paralysis, the role of the diplomat could not be more critical. With the Great Powers locked in zero-sum competition, the role of the middle power diplomat who can artfully and effectively navigate toward solutions is even more so. John Shaw's examination of the life and work of one of the most consequential - Jan Eliasson - could not be more timely. A must read for any student or practitioner of diplomacy in the modern age.

--Ambassador (ret.) Barbara K. Bodine

John Shaw has written a twofer: A first rate primer on the art and science of diplomacy; and, a fascinating and well-written biography of the Swedish diplomat, Jan Eliasson, whose accomplishments in the United Nations and other multilateral forums are without equal.

--Donald McHenry, former US ambassador to the UN

At a time of global crises and pessimism about the effectiveness of multilateral organizations, John Shaw offers a refreshing counter-narrative. Using examples from the remarkable career of Jan Eliasson -- who held more, and more varied, senior positions in the United Nations than any other individual -- Shaw leads the reader to conclude that collective action rooted in the UN Charter remains essential today. Eliasson's boundless energy and optimism, sources of inspiration for those of us fortunate enough to have worked with him, jumps off the pages in Shaw's account. At the UN, Eliasson's hands-on approach touched countless people, and Shaw's book is the next best thing to being in Eliasson's company.

--Jeffrey Feltman, former United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs (2012-2018)

This work by an experienced and thoughtful journalist illuminates the world of diplomacy through the life of Jan Eliasson, a statesman who, though representing a small country nonetheless had a large impact. It has a lot to teach those curious about one of the oldest, but least understood professions, and how it can help mend a wounded world.

--Eliot A. Cohen, Counselor of the Department of State, 2007-2009; Dean of the Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, 2019-2021

No small irony that the most successful diplomatic life is one most often lived out of sight. The professional virtues required for effective statecraft rarely take center stage--historical curiosity, analytical temperament, ideologically self-aware, attentiveness to detail, patient negotiator. For this reason, John T. Shaw has put us in his debt with The Education of a Statesman: How Global Leaders Can Repair a Fractured World. Few outside the circles of Washington DC's diplomatic circles have heard of Swedish Ambassador Jan Eliasson, despite rising through the ranks to be Deputy Secretary General of the UN. Shaw remedies that oversight here, but this is no mere biography. He uses Eliasson's professional life as both commentary and metaphor--field notes and guiding paradigm--and uses the vocation of statecraft to throw light on one of its finest practitioners. As Shaw shows, our fractured world needs more Eliassons.

--U.S. Ambassador Ruth A. Davis, (Ret.)