Ever The Diplomat

"First published in Great Britain by Harper Press in 2012"--Colophon.

This text describes all aspects of the life of a diplomat through various stages of a typical career. Though following a fictional diplomat, each chapter contains case studies based on the author's thirty years of experience as a diplomat, ambassador, and high commissioner tha...

Independent Diplomat is a compelling insider’s account of the foreign policy world. Carne Ross was a diplomat on the front line of today’s most pressing issues, from Israel/Palestine to Afghanistan and Iraq, over which he resigned from the British Foreign Office. He was trained to see the world through a prism of states and interests, but the reality of his negotiations revealed very different — more complex, and more human — forces at play. Independent Diplomat exposes this fundamental weakness of institutional diplomacy: exclusion of those most affected by its outcomes, whether at the UN, the EU or within national foreign ministries. Illustrated with vivid episodes from his career — from New York to Kabul — Ross offers a refreshing critique of contemporary diplomacy and of how to put it right.

Describes what has been happening in Britain, Europe and the world since 1997. This book explores the questions: will the British still be trying to work out who we are and what we want to be as the world moves on? Does the Western alliance still have the time and the will to shape the world before the rise of India and China? And more.

In his new book, Lessons from a Diplomatic Life: Watching Flowers from Horseback, retired State Department official and career diplomat Marshall P. Adair recounts and reflects on his time in the US Foreign Service. The story of his assignments throughout the world reveals important details about significant foreign policy issues and historic events, including Bosnia, American policy toward Tibet, the 1988 Burmese uprising, and the foundations of the current US-China relationship. It provides the reader with an inside look at the history of the US State Department, US diplomacy, and US foreign policy of recent decades, during what was often an unstable and uncertain time. This first-hand, detailed account of the author’s work with foreign governments and populations provides a unique outlook on US relations around the world that has critical policy implications for the situations we face today. Through this retelling, Adair illuminates how the depth and accuracy needed of diplomats and Foreign Service agents requires a close and intimate understanding of the cultures and governments they work with.

"Lester Pearson, Canada's foreign minister (and future prime minister) stands before the United Nations General Assembly. His speech, shaped by caution and hope, is a last-ditch attempt to prevent a conflict in Egypt from igniting a conflagration throughout the Middle East. Pearson, is about to carve out a razor's edge of common ground to bring together angry allies and bitter enemies by suggesting and making possible the creation of the first UN peacekeeping force. Pearson's diplomacy throughout the Suez Crisis launched a bold experiment in international security and cemented Canada's reputation as "a moderate, mediatory, middle power." And yet, until now, no one has told the full story of how this Canadian diplomat led the world back from the brink of war. In a unique blending of biography and political history, The Diplomat creates not only a compelling portrait of Pearson but also a nuanced analysis of the political maze navigated by Pearson to avert a bloody war."--

A pioneer for women in international diplomacy, Sue Boyd shares this account of her life in foreign service. 'An engaging account of life at the coalface by one of Australia's most active and effective diplomats - and real pathfinder in leading our diplomatic establishment out of its sexist dark age' -- Gareth Evans, Foreign Minister 1988-96 'A thoroughly engaging read. Sue's book took me for a walk down memory lane, remembering the tumultuous events of 2000 in Fiji and the fall out thereafter. Sue has a rare understanding of the Pacific Islands and its peoples. An enjoyable read. Part of it made me laugh out loud. From a gender perspective, it offers intuitions into the difficulties faced by women attempting to pierce the glass ceiling. Sue faced those difficulties with good humour and common sense, partly explaining why she has had such a successful career.' -- Imrana Jalal, The World Bank

With a new investigative epilogue by a prominent Washington journalist and a new foreword by the author. Ambassador Joseph Wilson recounts more than two decades of foreign service to our country in this unprecedented look at the life of an American diplomat and an unabashed account of policies that sometimes succeeded and sometimes failed. As the last American official to meet with Saddam before Desert Storm, Wilson successfully parried the dictator's threats to use American hostages as human shields against U.S. bombing. Yet today he finds himself battling threats from his own government because he called a lie a lie. When President Bush alleged that Iraq had pursued uranium from Africa for its nuclear weapons program, Wilson could not stand silent. He had traveled to Niger the previous year and found no evidence to support the president's claim. To intimidate Wilson, senior administration officials disclosed the undercover status of Wilson's wife, CIA operative Valerie Plame, to the press, putting her life in danger. Rather than backing down, Wilson persistently criticized the way the administration misled the nation into war. Now he continues his fight in this groundbreaking book by revealing the perils bred by the war-hungry regime in the White House.