The Last American Diplomat

Can John D. Negroponte be described as 'The Last American Diplomat'? In a career spanning 50 years of unprecedented American global power, he was the last of a dying breed of patrician diplomats - devoted to public service, a self-effacing and ultimate insider, whose prime duty was to advise, guide and warn - a bulwark of traditional diplomatic realism against ideologue excess. Negroponte served as US ambassador to Honduras, Mexico, the Philippines and Iraq; he was US Permanent Representative to the UN, Director of National Intelligence and Deputy Secretary of State to George W. Bush. His was a high-flying and seemingly conventional career but one full of surprises. Negroponte opposed Kissinger in Vietnam, supported a 'proxy war' but opposed direct American military action against Marxists in Central America - facing bitter Congress opposition in the process. He swam against the floodtide of George W. Bush's neocon-dominated administration, warning against the Iraq war as a possible new 'Vietnam' and criticising aspects of Bush's 'War on Terror'. He disconcerted the administration by arguing that the re-establishment of Iraq would take as long as five years. And he was influential in international social and economic policy - working for the successful re-settlement of millions of refugees in Southeast Asia following the Vietnam War, issuing early warnings about the scourge of AIDS in Africa and successfully launching the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). George W. Liebmann's incisive account is based on personal and shared experience but it is no hagiography; beyond the author's discussions with Negroponte, this book is deeply researched in US state papers and includes interviews with leading actors. It will provide fascinating reading for anyone interested in the inside-story of American diplomacy, showing personal and policy struggles, and the underlying fissures present even in the world's last remaining superpower.

Early years -- Hong Kong -- Vietnam -- Standford interlude -- Kissinger and the National Security Council -- Ecuador -- Thessaloniki -- Deputy Assistant Secretary for Fisheries -- Deputy Assistant Secretary for East Asian and Pacific Affairs -- Honduras -- Assistant Secretary for Oceans, Environmental and Scientific Affairs -- Deputy National Security Advisor -- Mexico -- The Philippines -- Panama -- McGraw-Hill -- United Nations Iraq -- Director of National Intelligence -- Deputy Secretary of State -- Conclusion.

Table of contents

As a distinguished and admired American diplomat of the last half century, Burns has played a central role in the most consequential diplomatic episodes of his time: from the bloodless end of the Cold War and post-Cold War relations with Putin's Russia to the secret nuclear talks with Iran. Here he recounts some of the seminal moments of his career, drawing on newly declassified cables and memos to give readers a rare, inside look at American diplomacy in action, and of the people who worked with him. The result is an powerful reminder of the enduring importance of diplomacy. -- adapted from jacket

If you ever wondered who becomes an American ambassador and why, this is the book for you. It describes how Foreign Service officers become ambassadors by rising up through the ranks, and why they typically make up about 70 percent of the total number of ambassadors. It also covers where the other 30 percent come from—the political appointees who get the job because they helped elect the president by supporting him as a campaign contributor, a political ally, or a personal friend. It explains why, despite being illegal and a threat to national security, selling the title of ambassador remains a common practice that is also unique to the United States. It considers why some suggestions for reform are misguided, what might be done, and why who the president is matters so much in determining how well the United States will be represented abroad. This updated and revised edition of Jett's classic book not only provides a timely overview of American ambassadorship for Foreign Service Officers, aspiring diplomats, and interested citizens, but also calls for much-needed reform, describing the dire implications of failing to change our ambassadorial appointments process for the future of American diplomatic practice and foreign policy.

Veteran diplomatic correspondent Paul Richter goes behind the battles and the headlines to show how American ambassadors are the unconventional warriors in the Muslim world—running local government, directing drone strikes, building nations, and risking their lives on the front lines. The tale’s heroes are a small circle of top career diplomats who have been an unheralded but crucial line of national defense in the past two decades of wars in the greater Middle East. In The Ambassadors, Paul Richter shares the astonishing, true-life stories of four expeditionary diplomats who “do the hardest things in the hardest places.” The book describes how Ryan Crocker helped rebuild a shattered Afghan government after the fall of the Taliban and secretly negotiated with the shadowy Iranian mastermind General Qassim Suleimani to wage war in Afghanistan and choose new leaders for post-invasion Iraq. Robert Ford, assigned to be a one-man occupation government for an Iraqi province, struggled to restart a collapsed economy and to deal with spiraling sectarian violence—and was taken hostage by a militia. In Syria at the eruption of the civil war, he is chased by government thugs for defying the country’s ruler. J. Christopher Stevens is smuggled into Libya as US Envoy to the rebels during its bloody civil war, then returns as ambassador only to be killed during a terror attach in Benghazi. War-zone veteran Anne Patterson is sent to Pakistan, considered the world’s most dangerous country, to broker deals that prevent a government collapse and to help guide the secret war on jihadists. “An important and illuminating read” (The Washington Post) and the winner of the prestigious Douglas Dillon Book Award from the American Academy of Diplomacy, The Ambassadors is a candid examination of the career diplomatic corps, America’s first point of contact with the outside world, and a critical piece of modern-day history.

What do the men and women of America's diplomatic corps do? William D. Morgan and Charles Stuart Kennedy, themselves career diplomats, culled over 1400 oral interviews with their Foreign Service peers to present forty excerpts covering events from the 1920s to the 1990s. Insiders recount what happens when a consul spies on Nazi Germany, Mao Tse-Tung drops by for a chat, the Cold War begins with the Berlin blockade, the Marshall Plan rescues Europe, Sukarno moves Indonesia into the communist camp, Khrushchev calls President Kennedy an SOB, and our ambassador is murdered in Kabul. "You are there" accounts deepen readers' understanding, as diplomatic and consular officers talk about the beginnings of Kremlinology, predicting a coup in Ecuador, Hemingway and the embassy in Havana, the secret formulation of the NATO treaty, Jerusalem after the British and the US recognition of Israel, fighting in the Congo over Katangan secession, dealing with an alcoholic foreign president, human rights work in Paraguay, the U.S. Embassy takeover in Tehran, the bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Beirut, helping families of the Pan Am 103 victims, Greece and Turkey at odds over a tiny island, embassy roles in Riyadh and Tel Aviv during Desert Storm, and many more.

The Magic of Dreams: An American Diplomat's Journey relays the story of a retired American diplomat who served in the U.S. Foreign Service for forty-three years. Eleanor L. Akahloun shares a remarkable personal and professional journey from humble, yet inspiring beginnings in her tightly knit Cape Verdean American community in Massachusetts. Her firsthand account of working with the U.S. State Department provides a peek into her colorful adventures and valuable lessons learned from her travels across all seven continents. This book is an affirmation that dreams are magical, that there is beauty amidst challenges in chasing them. The memoir is written in a question-and-answer format, with a perfect blend of wit, intrigue, and light humor. The Magic of Dreams: An American Diplomats Journey is a fascinating read that will leave the readers inspired. Fascinating Story about a Remarkable Woman, September 13, 2015 By M. E. Norris I thoroughly enjoyed reading Eleanor (Penny) Lopes Akahloun's memoir. It is a fascinating story about a remarkable woman. Ms. Akahloun, a Cape Verdean American, devoted 43 years of her life to serve as a career diplomat in the U.S. Foreign Service. She joined the Foreign Service at a time when the institution lacked diversity among its diplomatic corp. She overcame tremendous odds through perseverance, hard work, and a positive outlook-- characteristics which would help her tackle challenges throughout her life. Ms. Akahloun is someone who believes that we all have the capacity to enjoy life to the fullest. Her story is inspiring without being corny or unreal. Anyone who reads her book will take heart, no matter what their race, creed, gender, or age. The format of the book is akin to a long interview. The author begins by relating her family background, including the astounding story of how her grandfather journeyed to America from Cape Verde. She also tells us about her parents, remarkable individuals who worked and loved hard, providing the author with a nurturing and disciplined environment. Most of the rest of her book is about her life and adventures in the various countries in which she lived and served. These included Morocco (where she met her husband), Uruguay, Kenya, and China. The author intersperses the story of her life with interesting information on the political and economic situation of the country in which she was posted as well as the U.S. foreign policy goals in the country. This makes for an enriching history lesson without bogging readers down in too much detail. I hope that many people will read Ms. Akahloun's story and will be as strengthened and nourished as I was in reading it.