A DIPPER'S SUMMER

READING GUIDE

By Larry Peery

Summer is upon us, hard as that is to believe. I remember when I was a kid I used to look forward to summer because it meant I had more time to read the kinds of books I wanted to read: lots of military history, biographies and autobiographies about and by famous military figures; and novels with wartime settings. I don't recall reading any books by or about diplomats per se, although some of those wartime generals and admirals did go on to become successful diplomats. I recall that the library was filled with row after row of books about war in one form or another, but I doubt if you could have filled a single shelf with all the books by or about diplomats or diplomacy.

Well, times have changed. I don't know what the library collections include anymore, but even a quick look at the web sites of Barnes and Noble or Amazon will show you that books by or about diplomats or about diplomacy are selling. If you have the time and money I suggest you wander down to your local book store and check out what they offer, being sure to stop by the remainders table --- you can often find last year's best sellers marked down a lot! If you don't have a lot of time or money there is another route you can take.

Take a few minutes to visit the B&N and Amazon sites. Check out their home page. Then do a search on the subject of Diplomacy. You'll find that B&N lists around 475 titles in best selling order! You'll get them in groups of twenty-five or so. The format offers the title, book availability, author (or editor), whether it is a hard copy or paperback, the date of publication, the list price, their price, and sometimes a link to more information. If you click on that, you'll find more details on the book and often reviews from various book reviewing publications. The Amazon site isn't quite as fancy or clean as the B&N one, but it has its advantages. It currently lists some 700+ titles in alphabetical order! Again the basic information is there: title, author or editor, hard copy or paperback, date of publication, their price, and a more information link. This is a bit different than the B&N set-up since it allows readers, authors or publishers to comment!

Even if you don't want to buy anything you can learn a lot just by going through the two sites and reading the various reviews and comments on the books offered. In fact, if you did it systematically you'd probably get close to a university education in diplomatic studies!

I've selected a few of my favorite books by diplomats or about subjects of interest to those interested in diplomacy. I've tried to pick ones that I thought would be of special interest to Diplomacy players. But first, here's a few things to keep in mind as you begin your summer Diplomacy reading program.

All books, including those about diplomacy, are written for a purpose. The reader's may be to learn something or to be entertained. The author's may be to educate, to justify, to convert, or even just to make some money! Books about diplomacy may be written by diplomats (either professionals or amateurs), scholars, historians, journalists, or even eye-witnesses. Retired diplomats often write "memoirs;" which can be informative and entertaining, but are rarely completely truthful. As you read any of these books think about what the author is saying, and what they don't say. What is their subject: a single event or a broad panorama? Who are they writing about; major figures or ordinary people; and how well did they know them? What is their perspective and bias? Never assume that just because an author has a "scholarly" background he will be neutral or objective in his writing. Is this book a work about a current event, an on-going diplomatic issue, or a historical event? Consider how the author says what he has to say. Some diplomatic authors are great writers and horrible talkers, and the opposite is also true. Remember, diplomacy consists of both talk (negotiations) and the written word (orders and treaties). Well, enough of that. On with the list! A "*" indicates a book I have especially enjoyed.

*DIPLOMACY By Henry Kissinger, 1994

A NEW NAME FOR PEACE International Environmentalism, Sustainable Development, and Democracy By Philip Shabecoff, 1996

*THE POLITICS OF DIPLOMACY Revolution, War and Peace, 1989 - 1992 By James A. Baker 3rd, 1995

CONSTITUTIONAL DIPLOMACY By Michael J.Glennon, 1990

BANANA DIPLOMACY The Making of American Policy in Nicaragua 1981 - 1987 By Roy Gutman 1988

*MORALITY, REASON AND POWER American Diplomacy in the Carter Years By Gaddis Smith, 1986

ATOMIC DIPLOMACY: HIROSHIMA AND POTSDAM The Use of the Atomic Bomb and the American Confrontation With Soviet Power By Gaddis Smith, 1985

HARD CHOICES, Four Critical Years in America's Foreign Policy By Cyrus Vance, 1983

THE NEW DIPLOMACY International Affairs in the Modern Age By Abba Eban, 1983

DIPLOMACY FOR THE NEXT CENTURY By Abba Eban, 1998

PREVENTIVE DIPLOMACY Stopping Wars Before They Start. Edited by Kevin M. Cahill, 1997

THE VERY BEST MEN Four Who Dared: The Early Years of the CIA By Evan Thomas, 1995

PEACE PROCESS American Diplomacy and the Arab-Israeli Conflict Since 1967 By William B. Quandt, 1993

THE VIETNAM WARS 1945 - 1990 By Marilyn B. Young, 1991

MAYDAY Eisenhower, Khrushchev, and the U-2 Affair By Michael R. Beschloss, 1986

*WILSON AND HIS PEACEMAKERS: American Diplomacy at the Paris Peace Conference, 1919 By Arthur Walworth, 1986

THE IRON CURTAIN Churchill, America, and the Origins of the Cold War By Fraser Harbutt, 1986

WITNESS: THE WORLD SINCE HIROSHIMA By Roger Rosenblatt, 1985

DEADLY GAMBITS By Strobe Talbott, 1984

*THE FATEFUL ALLIANCE. France, Russia, and the Coming of the First World War By George F. Kennan, 1984

STALIN'S SECRET WAR By Nikolai Tolstoy, 1982

DIPLOMACY OF POWER: Soviet Armed Forces as a Political Instrument By Stephen S. Kaplan, 1981

Now exactly light reading, huh? Well, if you want something that's an easy read and fun try LIFE OF THE PARTY The Biography of Pamela Digby Churchill Hayward Harriman, a gal who could have taught Mata Hari lessons!