In October 2001, the Bush administration sent Ambassador Dobbins to war-torn Afghanistan to help the Afghans assemble a successor government to the Taliban. This memoir recounts how the U.S. administration reluctantly adjusted to its new role as nation-builder, yields insights into how government and diplomacy really work, and explains why the United States has failed to stabilize either Afghanistan or Iraq.

Winner of the 2008 Douglas Dillon Award for Distinguished Writing on American Diplomacy by the American Academy of Diplomacy.

Since 1995, the American Academy of Diplomacy has celebrated distinguished writing about U.S. diplomatic efforts and achievements with this prestigious award. It seeks to honor books, and their authors, dealing with the practice of American diplomacy with emphasis on the way U.S. foreign policy is developed and carried out.