In a career spanning decades, Mitchell B. Reiss has been at the center of some of America's most sensitive diplomatic negotiations. He is internationally recognized for his negotiation efforts to forge peace in Northern Ireland and to stem the nuclear crisis in North Korea. In Negotiating with Evil, Reiss distills his experience to answer two questions more vital today than ever: Should we talk to terrorists? And if we do, how should we conduct the negotiations in order to gain what we want?

To research this book, Reiss traveled the globe for three years, unearthing hidden aspects of the most secret and sensitive negotiations from recent history. He has interviewed hundreds of individuals, including prime ministers, generals, intelligence operatives, and former terrorists in conflict-torn regions of Europe, Asia, North Africa, and the Middle East. The result is a fascinating examination of the different methods countries have employed to confront terrorist movements, the mistakes made, the victories achieved, and the lessons learned.

Negotiating with Evil is a penetrating and insightful look into high-stakes diplomacy in the post-9/11 world and a vital contribution to the global security debate as the United States and its allies struggle to confront terrorist threats abroad and at home.

Mitchell B. Reiss is a leading expert on American foreign policy and internationally recognized for his negotiating skills during the Northern Ireland peace process and the North Korean nuclear crisis. Starting July 1, 2010, Reiss became the twenty-seventh President of Washington College in Chestertown, Maryland.

Reiss was formerly Diplomat-in-Residence at the College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia, where he held appointments in the School of Law and the Government Department. During the past decade he also held a number of leadership positions at the College, including Vice Provost for International Affairs, Dean, and Director of the Wendy and Emery Reves Center for International Studies. From 2003 to 2005 he served as Director of the Office of Policy Planning at the U.S. State Department, where he provided Secretary Colin L. Powell with independent strategic advice and policy recommendations. In December 2003, he was asked to serve concurrently as the President's Special Envoy for the Northern Ireland Peace Process with the rank of Ambassador; in January 2005 Secretary Condoleezza Rice asked Reiss to continue in this position, which he did until February 2007. During this period, Northern Ireland registered historic progress toward ending "the Troubles" and realizing the full promise of the Good Friday Agreement. For his efforts, he received the State Department's Foreign Affairs Award for Public Service.

“The distinguished diplomat and scholar Mitchell Reiss takes on one of the most important questions of our messy international age, how to deal with terrorists, and he answers it through a series of fascinating case studies. It’s both an important study and also a compelling set of historical narratives.” —Walter Isaacson, author of Kissinger: A Biography and Einstein: His Life and Universe

“A truly superb analysis of negotiations with controversial groups and states . . . After two decades of personal experience as a mediator and negotiator, I found Negotiating with Evil to be the most comprehensive and thoughtful work on this complex subject. This is a must-read for leaders, negotiators, and those interested in this hot, contemporary topic that faces our current political leadership.” —General Anthony C. Zinni, USMC (Retired)

“Mitchell Reiss tackles head-on the trickiest of questions, whether and when to talk to terrorists. His study is an important and welcome analysis of this complex issue.” —Baroness Manningham-Buller, former Director General of MI5