David Rohde

Reuters columnist David Rohde discusses John Kerry as Secretary of State. Rodhe’s article “John Kerry Will Not Be Denied” shows that while Kerry’s critics call him arrogant, undisciplined, and reckless,  his relentlessness in pursuit of negotiations might produce some of the most important diplomatic breakthroughs in years.

David Rohde looks at the evolving nature of war and argues that a dysfunctional Washington squandered billions on contractors in Iraq and Afghanistan, neglected its true allies in the war on terror, and failed to employ important nonmilitary weapons in the war on terror. His new book Beyond War: Reimagining American Influence in the Middle East surveys post-Arab Spring Tunisia, Turkey, and Egypt, and finds a yearning for American technology, trade, and education, and says only Muslim moderates can eradicate militancy.

Kati Marton, Richard Holbrooke’s widow;James Traub, contributing writer for the New York Times Magazine; and Reuters columnist David Rohde, talk about the career of Richard Holbrooke, who was a pivotal player in U.S. diplomacy for more than 40 years and who died last December. Most recently special envoy for Iraq and Afghanistan under President Obama, Holbrooke also served as assistant secretary of state for both Asia and Europe, and as ambassador to both Germany and the United Nations, and played a key role in brokering a peace agreement in Bosnia that led to the 1995 Dayton Peace Accords. The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke in the World is a tribute to his work as a public servant and a backstage history of the last half-century of American foreign policy.

Hours after Ambassador Richard Holbrooke died, it was widely reported that his last words, spoken to his surgeon, were, "You've got to stop this war in Afghanistan." Many heard these words as striking, epitomizing Holbrooke's life-long dedication to foreign policy and diplomacy.

New York Times reporter David Rohde and his wife Kristen Mulvihill share their account of his abduction by the Taliban, and her struggle to free him. Rohde and two Afghan colleagues were kidnapped in November 2008 and held in Pakistan for seven months. In New York, David's wife of two months, Kristen Mulvihill, his family, and The New York Times worked to free him. Mulvihill and Rohde tell their story in A Rope and a Prayer: A Kidnapping from Two Sides, describing how the experience exposed the failures of American efforts in the region and tested and strengthened their relationship.