Political Writing

Writing well, and persuasively, is not only a discipline that can be learned, it is one deeply rooted in the classical arts of rhetoric and polemic. This book introduces the essential skills, rules, and steps for producing effective political prose appropriate to many contexts, from the editorial, the op-ed, and the polemical essay to others both weighty and seemingly slight.

Dr. Adam Garfinkle is founding editor of The American Interest. He served from 2003 to 2005 as principal speechwriter to the U.S. Secretary of State (S/P, Policy Planning). Prior to that, he was editor of The National Interest. He has held appointments as professorial lecturer in American foreign policy at the School for Advanced International Studies (SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University. He has also taught at the University of Pennsylvania, Haverford College, and other institutions of higher learning.Dr. Garfinkle served as a member of the National Security Study Group (as chief writer) of the U.S. Commission on national Security/21st Century (the Hart-Rudman Commission), and as an aide to Senator Henry M. Jackson (D-WA). His essays have been published in many magazines, journals, and newspapers, and he has appeared on national and international media. Dr. Garfinkle is the recipient of awards and grants from the U.S. Department of State, the Fulbright Fellowship Program, the American Academy in Berlin, the German Marshall Fund, the United States Institute of Peace, and the Moshe Dayan Center for the Study of Middle Eastern and African Affairs (Tel Aviv University).Dr. Garfinkle received his Ph.D. in international relations from the University of Pennsylvania in 1979. He is married and has three children. He resides in Potomac, Maryland.