Media – James Baker Film

The Man Who Made Washington Work

James Baker:

James Baker:

In 1990, Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein invaded the neighboring country of Kuwait, a blatant act of aggression. All eyes were on the United States, the world’s “lone” superpower, to see how it would react. It was up to Baker and Bush to show the world that the U.S. could respond appropriately.

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James Baker the Heir

James Baker the Accidental Operative

James Baker the Power Broker

James Baker the Deal Maker

James Baker the Campaigner

James Baker the Diplomat

James Baker the Diplomatic Leader

James Baker Coalition Builder

James Baker Coalition Diplomacy

James Baker the Peace Maker

Baker was born into power and privilege and seemingly destined to become a lawyer.

Before Baker could finish building a coalition, Hussein upped the ante. Hussein sent oil tankers into the Persian Gulf, a clear violation of U.N. sanctions. Most of Bush’s advisors wanted the United States to take immediate military action against the ships, but Baker advised against it. He knew that if the U.S. acted alone, they would lose the support of the Soviets and other coalition members.

The success of the Gulf War coalition changed the political landscape of the Middle East. Baker wanted to seize the moment to pursue one of the most elusive goals in diplomacy — a peace agreement between Israel and its neighbors. Could the great negotiator manage what seemed to be impossible?

Baker helped to secure the election of President Gerald Ford and earned the nickname Washington’s “Miracle Man.”

In 1980, Baker accepted a job at the White House as the chief of staff for Republican President Ronald Reagan. On Capitol Hill, he engaged in “horse trading” with members of Congress in an effort to get the administration’s conservative agenda passed.

As treasury secretary, Baker was tasked with tax reform. It was a huge undertaking that took more than a year of bipartisan negotiations, but finally Baker and Democratic Congressman Dan Rostenkowski were able to craft legislation that both Democrats and Republicans could stand behind.

As Reagan’s second term drew to a close, Vice President George H. W. Bush decided to run for president. He asked Baker to lead his campaign – and Baker accepted. The gloves came off during the campaign, but despite the negativity – or perhaps because of it – the Bush team won comfortably in November.

Baker was sworn in as Bush’s secretary of state at a particularly turbulent time in global politics. For 40 years, Germany’s Berlin Wall had stood as a concrete representation of Cold War tensions. But in 1989, the wall came tumbling down. Baker and Bush were faced with the delicate challenge of balancing a reunited East and West Germany with a weakened Soviet Union.

Bush and Baker contributed to ending the Cold War. The Cold War—a period of hostility between the U.S. and the Soviet Union—dominated global politics during the second half of the 20th century. When Baker was sworn in as the secretary of state, forces were aligning for the Cold War to come to an end. In 1988, Mikhail Gorbachev, the Soviet General Secretary, was deep in a campaign to reform communism. With the fall of the Berlin Wall and the reunification of Germany, the Cold War began to melt away.