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Robert Bruce Adolph
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Surviving the United Nations: The Unexpected Challenge Paperback – March 3, 2020

by Robert Bruce Adolph (Author)
4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 41 ratings
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This is the gripping true story of 4 intense years in the life of a US Army Special Forces soldier, who joins the UN, and then goes on to assignments in some of the world's most dangerous countries--finding himself on sometimes-terrifying missions that include murderous child-soldiers; blood diamonds; a double hostage-taking; the rape of innocents; an invasion by brutal guerrillas; an emergency aerial evacuation; a desperate mission to recover hundreds of prisoners; tribal gunfights and unusual kidnappings; refugee camp violence; a deadly jihadist suicide bombing attack; and institutional corruption.

Previous page
  1. Print length
    340 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    New Academia Publishing/Vellum
  4. Publication date
    March 3, 2020
  5. Dimensions
    6 x 0.76 x 9 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    1733398007
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1733398008
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"Robert Adolph is the real deal, a Special Forces officer, United Nations security expert, and scholar in the most dangerous countries of the world. His life mattered in a way that those of the famous often don't." --Robert Kaplan, New York Times multiple best-selling author

"No rose-colored glasses here. Bob Adolph lays bare his unique experiences in pursuit of idealistic humanitarian purposes while in some of the toughest places on the planet. Sometimes his most dangerous opponents were in the very organization of which he was a part. To paraphrase from the book, Lonesome Dove, 'he survived because he dealt with things as he found them...not as he wished they would be.'" --Peter J. Schoomaker, General, US Army (retired), former Chief of Staff of the US Army

"Lieutenant Colonel Bob Adolph's unforgettable and brutally frank history provides graphic meaning to the unattributed quote, "You are either at the table or on the menu." --William Garrison, Major General, US Army (retired), former Commanding General of the Joint Special Operations Command and the US Army John F. Kennedy Special Warfare Center and School

"A superb, painfully honest and moving account of a life lived amid the great and lesser crises of our time, this book captures not only stunning violence and grim tragedies on multiple continents, but also does a great service by demonstrating what happens when on-the-ground urgency collides with aid bureaucracies. Bob Adolph's first-hand account of UN operations is alternately inspiring, enlightening, and infuriating (the latter when a failed hierarchy grasps about for a scapegoat in Iraq). A former special-operations soldier and globally recognized security expert, the author has given us the best-by-far nuts-and-bolts account of organizations seeking to do good, only to end up mired in a bloodbath. In short, a vital book by a very good man." Ralph Peters, New York Times best-selling author of Beyond Terror and Endless War

"This is a superb book written by a man that intimately knows his subject--because he lived it." --Gerald Ganz, former Head of Training and Director of Field Support, UN Department of Safety and Security

"Bob is a warrior, who truly spent his life protecting those who needed his strong arm. A great read, and a book worthy of a spot on every bookshelf." --Steven P. Bucci, Colonel, US Army, Special Forces (retired) (PhD), former Military Assistant to the Secretary of Defense and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ New Academia Publishing/Vellum (March 3, 2020)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 340 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1733398007
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1733398008
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.1 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6 x 0.76 x 9 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars 41 ratings

About the author

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Robert Bruce Adolph

Robert Bruce Adolph

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Biographical Sketch of Author Robert Bruce Adolph

Bob Adolph is a retired UN Chief Security Advisor & US Army Special Forces Lieutenant Colonel. He holds master’s degrees in both International Affairs (Middle East Studies) and US National Security Studies and Strategy.

His previous published works have appeared in Parameters, Military Review, Special Warfare, Joint Force Quarterly, Naval Institute Proceedings, Army Magazine, Chicago Tribune, Infantry Magazine, Army Times, Los Angeles Herald Examiner, Military Intelligence Magazine and more.

While in uniform over a more than 25-year enlisted and officer career, Bob served in Special Forces, Counterterrorism, Psychological Operations, Foreign Area Officer and Military Intelligence command and staff assignments in the US and overseas. He also volunteered to serve on UN peacekeeping missions in Egypt & Israel, Cambodia and Iraq & Kuwait.

Two years following his retirement from active military service, he began a second career as a UN Chief Security Officer. He was subsequently assigned to Sierra Leone, Yemen, Iraq, Ethiopia, Egypt, Israel/Palestine, Indonesia and UN Headquarters in New York as the Chief of the Middle East and North Africa within the UN Department of Safety and Security. He retired again in 2014.

Bob is a graduate of multiple US and foreign military schools, including the US Army Command and General & Armed Forces Staff Colleges, Foreign Area Officer, Counterintelligence Special Agent, Psychological Operations, Ranger, Combat Diver, Parachute Jump Master, Belgium Commando, Danish Combat Swimmer and many more. He additionally attended several UN security related courses of instruction, including Scotland Yard’s demanding Hostage Incident Management program.

He also served as adjunct faculty at American institutions of higher learning, teaching undergraduate courses in Foreign Affairs, US Government, and American History. Bob has given multiple speeches and presentations to academic, UN, US Government, as well as European Union audiences on a wide range of topics, including Terrorism, Corruption, Cross-cultural Leadership, and Wisdom.

Because of both his US military and UN service, he has lived and worked in 15 countries on 4 continents. He also carries the unusual distinction of having been twice fired and twice promoted by the UN.

Customer reviews

4.6 out of 5 stars
4.6 out of 5
41 global ratings
What happens when good intentions create bad results.
5 Stars
What happens when good intentions create bad results.
What happens when good intentions are hijacked by a bureaucracy unaccountable to anyone who makes a mistake, oh yeah the United Nations happens. Not the idea but the entity is broken.
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Top reviews from the United States

WhyDoIHavetoMakeanAccount?
5.0 out of 5 stars Informative and Amazing
Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2023
Verified Purchase
One of my favorite books I've ever read. Robert Adolph does an amazing job at highlighting much of the dysfunction in the UN while also pointing out how integral his job was.
I'll be honest too; I'm happy to see poignant criticism that provides definitive examples, and how many figures continued (and some still are) to work in the United Nations. I recommend everyone to read this book.
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Jeffrey Armadillo
4.0 out of 5 stars High-Rec: A Unique and Common Story Well Told
Reviewed in the United States on October 19, 2020
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I recommend this book to anyone interested in post-military retirement options, on where Green Beret skill sets can take a person, on an insider view of the United Nations and on how whistle blowers can survive being scapegoated in bureaucracies, which happens in all bureaucracies.

I am a US Army Special Forces veteran, and so I identified with Bob's re-orientation and challenges in adapting to the new and unique (for him) culture of the UN. His insights into the UN are jarring, but also not unexpected, are common thoughout NGOs and non-profits. His experience in successfuly defending himself against being scapegoated by the UN Secretary General offer many insights and lessons that can be applied to similar scapegoatings in most hierarchies.

Going the places that Bob went, unarmed and alone, essentially, meaning not in the company of 10 or more well-armed and well-trained men who you know and trust, is a terrifying prospect for most SF, and all military people. But, Bob did it, and managed to have some good effects on the UN mission. Hoo-ah.

Bob's world view and perspectives are refreshing for a man who spent so much time in SOF and the UN, especially in light of the Baghdad bombing and its aftermath.

Don't know what an SRSG, CAO or HOM is? Wonder what it is like for a former Green Beret to arrive unarmed in a dangerous Third World country and be responsible for the safety of other people? Curious what it is like to pursue love and romance in a combat zone? Read this book and find out.
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ZR
5.0 out of 5 stars A must read for UN staff
Reviewed in the United States on October 13, 2020
Verified Purchase
I stayed up 3 nights reading the book. I think the title is very catchy for anyone who shares at least some portion of the frustrations about the UN system as Bob – I cannot say the same frustration as what happened to most of us cannot compare to what he went through. I was hoping to find something in the book to support my struggling faith in the UN. Now upon finishing it, for a moment, I was not sure if it had destroyed my faith or strengthened it. I really wanted to believe that it was not true – but sadly, all the problems he encountered, just sounded too UN, too familiar. Upon further reflection, I think the book did strengthen my faith in a way that it broke my illusion, and that it presented the real world we live in, and yet we still have to fight for what’s right, not only in hazardous fields, but also among some of our own colleagues. Faith comes within, not outside. The book broke the bubble but provided an example for us. I also loved how Bob saw RUF members through humane eyes - instead of mere terrorists, they were kids who were deprived of childhood and knew nothing more. I loved his understanding of different cultures. The fact that kidnappers in Yemen often ask for school, or a well or something that would benefit the whole village is just sad. We keep saying “root causes” in our statements, but do we really know what they mean? Thank you, Bob. For your strengthen, for sharing the experience, for speaking up. I am deeply disappointed that the very much respected former SG was not able to provide some sort of response. Admitting our own shortfalls would perhaps help us gain more respect.
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Caryl Brill
5.0 out of 5 stars A REAL LIFE THRILLER
Reviewed in the United States on April 30, 2020
Verified Purchase
Sometimes we pick up a book that is referred to us with a preconceived idea of what it is going to be. A friend recommended this book and I took his recommendation with the preconception that it would be a highly technical read with lots of events and told like a military history book. To my surprise it was a page turner and from the moment I started reading it, I didn't put it down. Instead of an intimidating and dry read, the book was enthralling, anecdotal, sometimes funny, sometimes very serious, sometimes heart wrenching, but mostly, a "sit on the edge of your seat" thriller. The author took me to Sierra Leone, Yemen and Iraq. and gave me his experiences of real life challenges, the place, the people, and the unforetold stories of life and death situations. But mostly it is a story of Robert's experience with the United Nations and how he gave his life to a job that in the end nearly broke him, with politics, and bureaucracy . It is a story of perseverance and a belief in doing "the right thing". The book is a great read for anybody who loves a good thriller but this is a real life one.
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mrtny
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read!
Reviewed in the United States on November 16, 2020
Verified Purchase
A compelling book for those who work for the United Nations and for those who do not but would appreciate an insight into how it operates. This book is an engrossing page turner, laying bare Bob’s experiences in Sierra Leone, Yemen, and Iraq amongst others. Bob - a man of integrity - does the right thing but faces a road full of blood and anguish and pays a heavy personal price. Serious moments are intertwined with lighter, humorous ones. The self reflection found in this memoir represents a level of emotional intelligence not often found. I would recommend this book to just about anyone, as reading it you will be at the edge of your seat waiting to see what happens, and how the tumultuous events which take place affect the narrator.
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Top reviews from other countries

Julie Gagné
5.0 out of 5 stars one of a kind
Reviewed in Canada on March 26, 2024
Verified Purchase
This book really made us think and pushed us to ask ourselves essential questions. It’s a real lesson in combativeness and courage. I recommend it to you !
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John Warner
5.0 out of 5 stars Must read
Reviewed in Australia on May 19, 2021
Verified Purchase
This book should be widely read. It is full of implications for how systems work. Reality is complicated. But you recognise authenticity when you see it. This book has it. And as a bonus, it is great to read. Do it now. John Warner
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