Subsequently, he had a career of thirty-six years in the Foreign service, dealing mainly with America's relations with the South Asia region.
[2][4] Robert Hathaway notes in Foreign Affairs that Schaffer has written an "exemplary account" of the United States' efforts to settle or at least manage the Kashmir Conflict.
[6] Surinder Mohan of the Jawaharlal Nehru University notes that it is a "remarkable" book which traces the Oval Office's efforts to resolve the Kashmir issue right from the beginning.
While maintaining that it is a fine book Mohan expresses disappointment with the absence of the analysis of the impacts of the 1971 war and Indo-US nuclear deal.
Cottenr observes that while the book concentrates on America's role it also provides a detailed outline of the conflict from its genesis to its contemporary geopolitical impact.
Cotter notes that Schaffer's detailed analysis is buttressed with extensive footnotes which take heavily from the official documents from the dispute's early days.
[8] According to John M. Carroll, of Lamar University, Schaffer has written a "splendid diplomatic biography" of Chester Bowles.
Carroll notes that Schaffer assesses Bowler's diplomatic ideas by "carefully examining" his role as American ambassador to India and as Kennedy's undersecretary of state.
[11] Arthur Schlesinger, of the City University of New York, terms Schaffer's book as an "admirable account" of Bowles career in foreign affairs.