A Solitary War: A Diplomat's Chronicle on the Iraq War and its Costs

Ambassador Heraldo Muñoz

Heraldo Muñoz has had an extensive and successful career in academia, diplomacy and public service. He is currently the Ambassador-Permanent Representative of Chile to the United Nations. In January 2004, he was President of the U.N. Security Council. During 2003 and 2004, he held the post of Chairman of the Al Qaeda and Taliban Sanctions Committee of the Security Council, where he actively worked to improve the Council's sanctions regime and member states' compliance. During 2006-2007 he served as Vice President of the U.N. General Assembly's 61st Session. Prior to his present position in New York, Ambassador Muñoz occupied the post of Minister Secretary General of Government (2002-2003) in the cabinet of President Ricardo Lagos. Earlier, from 2000 to 2002, he was Deputy Foreign Minister of Chile. Under the Administration of President Eduardo Frei, he was Ambassador of Chile to Brazil (1994-1998). Before that, Muñoz was Ambassador of Chile to the Organization of American States (1990).

Ambassador Muñoz has written or edited more than 20 books on Inter-American relations and security, Latin American foreign relations, and international political economy, as well as dozens of essays in academic journals. Ambassador Muñoz's opinion pieces have appeared in major newspapers in the U.S. and around the world.

His book, "A Solitary War: A Diplomat's Chronicle of the Iraq War and its Lessons," is about the U.S.-led war in Iraq and the behind-the-scenes negotiations in the U.N., published by Fulcrum Books, with a foreward by Kofi Annan. Ambassador Muñoz is fluent in Spanish, English, Portuguese, and French.

Beginning with a "telling phone call from Condi," the former president of the UN Security Council tells for the first time the behind-the-scenes story of the Iraq war, as seen from an international perspective. Ambassador Munoz examines the United States' controversial decision to take a unilateral stand and the repercussions for both the U.S. and the rest of the world. This fascinating book explains why a multilateral approach to foreign policy, including reliance on international organizations such as the UN, is imperative in today's world. A Solitary War offers a compelling argument for rebuilding trust among the international community and returning to a truly cooperative global order.

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