Diplomarine: Terrorism, Turf Wars, Cocktail Parties and Other Painful Joys My First Thirty Years of Foreign Affairs Paperback - 2014

From the publisher

Ambassador Myles Frechette, himself a professional diplomat, calls Diplomarine "a celebration of a life lived to the full serving the United States; a book I simply couldn't put down. Brown is a master storyteller who entertains and amazes you as he tells you about his life. He has a funny, unvarnished, almost swashbuckling style, and interweaves recollections of life as a Marine, diplomat and academic with wise reflections on what he learned along the way. He describes working on several continents as well as his experiences in ideological conflicts in Central America and Southeast Asia. His vantage point is not that of a senior military or diplomatic practitioner but of the man on the ground carrying out instructions sometimes based on an inaccurate understanding of local reality or, occasionally, on policies that cannot achieve their announced objectives. Empathetic, and with an instinctive cultural sensitivity, the reader can't help but admire his self-confidence, ability to spot opportunities and quick thinking. " Juan Tamayo, of the Miami Herald, says Diplomarine is "a great read for anyone interested in how the United States views and interacts with other countries and other peoples by a veteran diplomat, a 27-year veteran of the State Department, who was far more boots-on-the-ground than striped pants and suspenders. His snappy stories of good and bad ambassadors, smart and dumb U.S. policies, provide more lessons on foreign relations than any academic tome." Robert Morton, of NewsMax and Geostrategy, formerly of the Washington Times, adds, "Brown is that rare former 'U.S. official' who can both write well and keep readers awake simultaneously. In Diplomarine he makes a convincing case that there is no real substitute for life experience, common sense and humor. This travelogue of a fascinating life makes for a thoroughly enjoyable and often hilarious education about important aspects of 20th Century U.S. foreign policy that the history books may have covered, but without Tim Brown's down-to-earth anecdotes and insights." Dr. Bill Ratliff, a Fellow at the world renown Hoover Institution, calls Diplomarine "a rare, possibly unique, bottom-up presentation of diplomacy with a Chaucerian flair that relates fascinating and exciting experiences on important foreign policy issues with a freshness and verve that will appeal to a broad audience, even those too young to remember many of the events on which he worked. Especially valuable are the author's very candid, and at times politically incorrect, insights into the ideas, events, policies and groups with which he dealt. An invaluable portrait of the lives of Americans serving abroad painted by a true insider, Diplomarine has all the makings of a New York Times best seller." For Dr. Paul Manoukian it's "a riveting autobiographical account of the author's experiences and adventures during his almost four decades as a Marine and Foreign Service Officer. Wending its way from country to country, the book exposes the often practical ironies of foreign policy and multifaceted relationship between the Foreign Service and other parts of the government. Diplomarine also offers the reader rare insights into the stresses and dangers of raising a family in the Diplomatic Corp. Close shaves, near misses and competing agendas keep the pages turning as the reader gradually begins to understand the extraordinarily complex variables that govern the expression and implementation of America's foreign policies in the field." A riveting account of experiences and adventures; a celebration of life; a great read full of common sense and humor; a rare, possibly unique presentation of diplomacy with a Chaucerian flair; a thoroughly enjoyable, often hilarious education on events in 20th Century U.S. foreign policy the history books may have covered, but without Brown's down-to-earth anecdotes and insights; all the makings of a New York Times best seller. Who could ask for anything

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