“The Statesman,” Posthumous Memoirs of Ambassador David Abshire
June 26, 2018 • 5:00 – 7:00 pm EDT
In partnership with the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress, CSIS cordially invite you to the book launch of The Statesman: Reflections on a Life Guided by Civility, Strategic Leadership, and the Lessons of History.
The late Ambassador David Abshire lived a quintessentially American life, one that spanned the Great Depression, World War II, and the Cold War and its aftermath. He graduated from West Point, fought in the Korean War, earned a doctorate from Georgetown University, and served in government during the Vietnam War and at the height of the Cold War. He also co-founded the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), and led with distinction the Center for the Study of the Presidency & Congress. Along the way he became a personal adviser to multiple presidents, earning a reputation as one of Washington, D.C.’s truly wise men.
As the noted author and journalist Evan Thomas notes in his poignant foreword, “David Abshire was a fixture in the effort to make America a superpower with a higher purpose. He was the embodiment of high strategy and practical (which is to say political) application by men and women of goodwill. Dave’s story mirrors America’s golden age of global responsibility. There were defeats and mistakes, yes, but the nation and its leaders learned from them and tried to exert American will as a force for the better…Dave always said we should learn from history. We can learn from his history. After reading this book, I think you will understand how much we miss him.”
