December 18, 2018

The Iran Nuclear Negotiations

By Ilan Goldenberg and Wendy Sherman

Ambassador Wendy Sherman discusses her unlikely career, which began as an advocate for women's issues. Then, she went into politics, and eventually wound up at the State Department, where she was the lead negotiator for the Iran nuclear deal.

In her new book, “Not for the Faint of Heart: Lessons in Courage, Power, and Persistence,” Sherman writes about long hours of work and having to persevere through tough negotiations with the North Koreans and later the Iranians.

In this final episode of the first season of Stories from the Backchannel, Sherman speaks with host Ilan Goldenberg, Senior Fellow and Director of the Middle East Security Program at the Center for A New American Security. She talks about what it was like to be sitting next to the late North Korean leader Kim Jong-il and the challenges of negotiating with Iran.

Sherman's story is a candid portrayal of what it's like to be a diplomat and how challenges can sometimes be turned into opportunities.

Catch the rest of the "Stories from the Backchannel" series here.

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