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Ever the Diplomat: Confessions of a Foreign Office Mandarin
In this entertaining and engaging memoir, former ambassador Sherard Cowper-Coles lifts the lid on embassy life throughout the world.
For over thirty years Sherard Cowper-Coles was on the diplomatic front line in a career that took him from the corridors of power in Whitehall to a string of high-profile posts around the world.
Entering the Foreign Office in 1977, he took up postings in Beirut, Alexandria and Cairo, Washington, Paris, and Hong Kong, his globe-trotting punctuated with spells in London, where the young diplomat had a baptism of fire writing foreign affairs speeches for Margaret Thatcher.
In 1999, under Prime Minister Tony Blair, he was made Principal Private Secretary to the irascible Foreign Secretary Robin Cook, providing the book with some of its most hilarious sequences. His career culminated in a succession of ambassadorial posts as Our Man in Israel, Saudi Arabia and finally Afghanistan.
‘Ever the Diplomat’ is his revealing and witty account of half a lifetime in diplomacy.
336 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 1, 2012
21 people are currently reading
185 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
February 26, 2013
The title says it all. This memoir by someone near the centre of British foreign relations for thirty years lifts the fringe of a curtain but reveals only so much. The reader is left feeling like a child allowed to stay up for a time listening to interesting guests before being dispatched to bed. That said, it is a fascinating and often amusing read, leaving me at least wondering how absorbing it would have been if the author had ignored the constraints he is under and had told it all as he sees it.
One vignette which got through (because it was already in the public domain) concerns the Arab prince being driven round the Balmoral Estate by the Queen. Through an interpreter, he repeatedly asked her to slow down and keep her eye on the road.
Ever the diplomat, the author has little to say about most of the politicians he encountered, but he liked and respected two very different men, Chris Patton and the late Robin Cook. Some of the stories, about the latter in particular, are splendid.
Only at the end of the book does he let rip, with a devastatingly analytical critique of policy in Afghanistan. It is clear, also, that he regards the second Iraq War as a serious mistake. 'Lions led by donkeys' was a phrase used about the First World War. The author does not re-use it but his respect for the troops and his lack of it for the politicians who bring about devastatingly wasteful wars for no good reason comes over loud and clear.
The author comes across as clever and very committed, anxious to understand a complex, fascinating world.
One vignette which got through (because it was already in the public domain) concerns the Arab prince being driven round the Balmoral Estate by the Queen. Through an interpreter, he repeatedly asked her to slow down and keep her eye on the road.
Ever the diplomat, the author has little to say about most of the politicians he encountered, but he liked and respected two very different men, Chris Patton and the late Robin Cook. Some of the stories, about the latter in particular, are splendid.
Only at the end of the book does he let rip, with a devastatingly analytical critique of policy in Afghanistan. It is clear, also, that he regards the second Iraq War as a serious mistake. 'Lions led by donkeys' was a phrase used about the First World War. The author does not re-use it but his respect for the troops and his lack of it for the politicians who bring about devastatingly wasteful wars for no good reason comes over loud and clear.
The author comes across as clever and very committed, anxious to understand a complex, fascinating world.
February 4, 2017
Highly recommend this read for anyone interested in geopolitics and the day to day lives of people behind these events. very eloquently written and read by the author. made all the more interesting by knowing some of the characters in person. there's some scarily prescient comments made by the author when comparing Saudi Arabia with the US. in addition his point that to be a good ambassador means focusing on the good and working through the rest can be applied to any personal, commercial or political relationship.
May 20, 2015
Whilst written with a pleasant warmth and bonhomie, I nevertheless felt excluded. Didn't know the people - and there were lots of them - the places or the situations discussed. There wasn't enough background information.....or at least for someone with my poor level of knowledge about world politics. I need books that are more specific and detailed. Gave up reading the book on page 52.
January 1, 2024
Sherard’s first big job was working as the first secretary in Washington, reporting on Congress, covering US and Irish politics, greeting and managing visitors to the embassy. One minister arrived to Washington when the Washington Redskins were playing, creating huge crowds in the street. The minister asked what the crowds were celebrating for to which Sherard replied “Your arrival in Washington Minister”. For a brief second the ambitious minister seemed to believe Sherard.
Sherard bought a new Brooks Brother suit for the Queen’s visit to Washington. The Queen, upon seeing Ting’s suit from the aircraft remarked to Philip “what is the man wearing”. Sherard’s Great, Great, Great Grandfather flew in WW1 and was killed a month before it ended, over Ypres. On several occasions his plane for damaged, only for his co-pilot to get out in mid-flight and mend the damage.
Robin Cook had obtained the reputation as the most accident-prone man in Labour, and unwisely said he would peruse a foreign policy with "ethnic dimensions”. It would have been wiser to trumpet the achievement rather than the promise. Cook was a country man, to which Sherard asked the Foreign Secretary to “shoot it” when Cook mentioned that a fox has wondered across the Gardens. Cook was more diligent that Blair on Foreign policy, who had a candid approach to the rule of law. Cook resigned from government about the Iraq War. The funniest moment was when Cook was unaware about Blair’s wife becoming pregnant- at the time of the Northern Ireland Peace process achievement had just been announced. A diplomat asked Cook to say "please give Tony my warmest Congratulations” - to which Cook replied thinking the diplomat was talking about the NI peace process “of course - it took Tony three years of hard work”.
The Foreign Office suffers from a shortage of institution self-confidence and can be sometimes too eager to please. It is also too well furnished “The surest sign that an institution is beginning to decline is when it is well housed”.
The Arabs have always attributed more power to Britain that she actually has - but correctly identify that Britain understands the Middle East better than the Americans. Saudi Arabia is as much a swing producer of oil as it is of moderate thinker in the Middle East.
Sitting with Mrs Thatcher after she had resigned as PM in Hong Kong, Sheard noted to her that he felt Mrs Thatcher’s correspondents with French President Mitterrand had an erotic charge to them. Her nostrils flared- before replying “Do you know Mr Cowper-Coles, I think that you may be right”.
The first director of MI5 told Sherard that every establishment should have an element of internal gossip as a way of team building and to create a safety valve.
Sherard bought a new Brooks Brother suit for the Queen’s visit to Washington. The Queen, upon seeing Ting’s suit from the aircraft remarked to Philip “what is the man wearing”. Sherard’s Great, Great, Great Grandfather flew in WW1 and was killed a month before it ended, over Ypres. On several occasions his plane for damaged, only for his co-pilot to get out in mid-flight and mend the damage.
Robin Cook had obtained the reputation as the most accident-prone man in Labour, and unwisely said he would peruse a foreign policy with "ethnic dimensions”. It would have been wiser to trumpet the achievement rather than the promise. Cook was a country man, to which Sherard asked the Foreign Secretary to “shoot it” when Cook mentioned that a fox has wondered across the Gardens. Cook was more diligent that Blair on Foreign policy, who had a candid approach to the rule of law. Cook resigned from government about the Iraq War. The funniest moment was when Cook was unaware about Blair’s wife becoming pregnant- at the time of the Northern Ireland Peace process achievement had just been announced. A diplomat asked Cook to say "please give Tony my warmest Congratulations” - to which Cook replied thinking the diplomat was talking about the NI peace process “of course - it took Tony three years of hard work”.
The Foreign Office suffers from a shortage of institution self-confidence and can be sometimes too eager to please. It is also too well furnished “The surest sign that an institution is beginning to decline is when it is well housed”.
The Arabs have always attributed more power to Britain that she actually has - but correctly identify that Britain understands the Middle East better than the Americans. Saudi Arabia is as much a swing producer of oil as it is of moderate thinker in the Middle East.
Sitting with Mrs Thatcher after she had resigned as PM in Hong Kong, Sheard noted to her that he felt Mrs Thatcher’s correspondents with French President Mitterrand had an erotic charge to them. Her nostrils flared- before replying “Do you know Mr Cowper-Coles, I think that you may be right”.
The first director of MI5 told Sherard that every establishment should have an element of internal gossip as a way of team building and to create a safety valve.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2013
It was ok.
Some entertaining interludes, some decent information about how the FO works, but ultimately unsatisfying.
Cowper-Coles is well capable of turning a pretty phrase but saying nothing substantive.
My favorite sections were Hong Kong, Robin Cook and Afghanistan. Other than that, I'm not sure I learned much. At times it felt slightly ingratiating.
I thought slight bitterness leaked out at the end - and not just towards to politicians behind the Afhgan campaign, though that was certainly present.
Glad I read it, doubt I'll reread it.
Some entertaining interludes, some decent information about how the FO works, but ultimately unsatisfying.
Cowper-Coles is well capable of turning a pretty phrase but saying nothing substantive.
My favorite sections were Hong Kong, Robin Cook and Afghanistan. Other than that, I'm not sure I learned much. At times it felt slightly ingratiating.
I thought slight bitterness leaked out at the end - and not just towards to politicians behind the Afhgan campaign, though that was certainly present.
Glad I read it, doubt I'll reread it.
April 28, 2013
I really enjoyed this well written and informative look at the career of a diplomat. Given the author is only about three years older than me his timeline was not far off mine so I could very much relate to the big names he dealt with and the situations he was involved in.
The book works on a number of levels, the historical aspect, the insider view of the British Foreign Office and a glimpse of the well known people involved. He is far too circumspect to dish dirt and as a talented writer, you have to understand how to read what he DOESN'T say. I was amazed at how much our Ambassadors and their staff do, and very much impressed by how serious this institution takes it's role in representing the UK.
Significant world events happened during the author's service and we glimpse them through his eyes and involvement and he has some key points on how to deal with people and get them on-side. I was also terribly impressed at the efforts to learn both language and custom both the author and the FO go through, although I suspect Mr Cowper-Coles (as was) went by far the extra mile or two.
At the end of his service the author was rightly knighted and from this book (although he very much gives credit to other people, this book is not full of boasting) it is easy to see why. He really does represent the best of British.
Very much recommended if you have the slightest interest in how our embassies work and how important they are in the relations we have abroad.
The book works on a number of levels, the historical aspect, the insider view of the British Foreign Office and a glimpse of the well known people involved. He is far too circumspect to dish dirt and as a talented writer, you have to understand how to read what he DOESN'T say. I was amazed at how much our Ambassadors and their staff do, and very much impressed by how serious this institution takes it's role in representing the UK.
Significant world events happened during the author's service and we glimpse them through his eyes and involvement and he has some key points on how to deal with people and get them on-side. I was also terribly impressed at the efforts to learn both language and custom both the author and the FO go through, although I suspect Mr Cowper-Coles (as was) went by far the extra mile or two.
At the end of his service the author was rightly knighted and from this book (although he very much gives credit to other people, this book is not full of boasting) it is easy to see why. He really does represent the best of British.
Very much recommended if you have the slightest interest in how our embassies work and how important they are in the relations we have abroad.
May 10, 2018
The diplomatic life seen through British diplomacy lenses. The book is an open, honest and innocuous account of what Sir Sherard Cowper-Coles has been through.
It talks about how he has cultivated relationships with contacts (proper lunch in France, or a Pepsi and a snack in Washington), or how US ambassador to UK was granted Agrement overnight! by fax!, or how hard work and perpetual enthusiasm paid off - leading to diplomatic life with no regrets.
Diplomatic practice advice of his: 'at the heart of effective diplomacy lie clarity of thought and clarity of expression'
It talks about how he has cultivated relationships with contacts (proper lunch in France, or a Pepsi and a snack in Washington), or how US ambassador to UK was granted Agrement overnight! by fax!, or how hard work and perpetual enthusiasm paid off - leading to diplomatic life with no regrets.
Diplomatic practice advice of his: 'at the heart of effective diplomacy lie clarity of thought and clarity of expression'
August 27, 2023
A humorous and very interesting portrait of a varied diplomatic career that took the author everywhere from Cairo on the day of President Sadat's assassination to Paris on the night of the death of Princess Diana. His first book, Cables from Kabul is also a very important book for those with an interest in the war in Afghanistan. Ambassador Cowper-Coles was the British Ambassador to Afghanistan as well as the UK Special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan.
September 22, 2024
I want to say that I really enjoyed reading the memoirs of a diplomat whose postings took him across the world.
From Paris to Hong Kong, Washington to Afghanistan, Israel and Egypt, Sir Sherard Cowper Coles found himself representing the UK during some of the most significant historical events at the end of the twentieth and beginning of the twenty first centuries.
I bought this book chiefly because I remember his role as the Ambassador to Israel. He impressed me due to the fact that he tried to understand how integral Israel is to us, the Jewish people. He even lived with a Jewish family near to where I grew up before commencing his placement. Additionally, he ventured to learn Hebrew. All admirable achievements.
In short, I had high expectations of the man. Which is why I feel very much let-down by the half-hearted and partisan description of his time spent in Israel.
He provides a revisionist history of how the state came into being - why is there not a single mention of the disgraceful Exodus 1947 boat that took German Holocaust survivors to Palestine and was sent back to Germany by the British, under orders from the antisemitic Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin?
Why does he conveniently ignore the ramifications of the 1937 Peel Commission's White Paper which limited Jewish immigration into Palestine and which was without a doubt responsible for the number of Jews having to remain in Europe to be murdered by the Nazis?
He talks about the second intifada and accurately describes the horrific Park Hotel Passover suicide bombing of April 2002 but downplays Arafat's rejection of a peace proposal, his theft of billions of dollars of European and American aid for the Palestinian people he claimed to represent to ensure that his wife and daughter live comfortably in a luxury hotel in Paris. Let's not even talk about how much is still sitting in his various bank accounts.
The list goes on which leads me to question how much of the rest of Cowper-Coles' narrative regarding his other postings is questionable.
That said, he does try (at least in his mind) to present a balanced picture but I am not convinced of his his veracity as an honest broker.
Ever the diplomat indeed.
From Paris to Hong Kong, Washington to Afghanistan, Israel and Egypt, Sir Sherard Cowper Coles found himself representing the UK during some of the most significant historical events at the end of the twentieth and beginning of the twenty first centuries.
I bought this book chiefly because I remember his role as the Ambassador to Israel. He impressed me due to the fact that he tried to understand how integral Israel is to us, the Jewish people. He even lived with a Jewish family near to where I grew up before commencing his placement. Additionally, he ventured to learn Hebrew. All admirable achievements.
In short, I had high expectations of the man. Which is why I feel very much let-down by the half-hearted and partisan description of his time spent in Israel.
He provides a revisionist history of how the state came into being - why is there not a single mention of the disgraceful Exodus 1947 boat that took German Holocaust survivors to Palestine and was sent back to Germany by the British, under orders from the antisemitic Foreign Secretary Ernest Bevin?
Why does he conveniently ignore the ramifications of the 1937 Peel Commission's White Paper which limited Jewish immigration into Palestine and which was without a doubt responsible for the number of Jews having to remain in Europe to be murdered by the Nazis?
He talks about the second intifada and accurately describes the horrific Park Hotel Passover suicide bombing of April 2002 but downplays Arafat's rejection of a peace proposal, his theft of billions of dollars of European and American aid for the Palestinian people he claimed to represent to ensure that his wife and daughter live comfortably in a luxury hotel in Paris. Let's not even talk about how much is still sitting in his various bank accounts.
The list goes on which leads me to question how much of the rest of Cowper-Coles' narrative regarding his other postings is questionable.
That said, he does try (at least in his mind) to present a balanced picture but I am not convinced of his his veracity as an honest broker.
Ever the diplomat indeed.
July 31, 2020
I found that this book worked especially well as an audio book. Read by the author himself - who, to his benefit, has a pleasant, calm and empathetic reading voice - the book feels like someone telling a remarkable career story right to you.
I recommend this book especially to someone who wants to know more about the practicalities of international relations or who has an interest in the following subjects: the tensions between protestants and Catholics in Ireland, Margaret Thatcher, Egypt, British and Chinese relations regarding Hong Kong, the Israel/Palestine conflict or the middle east in general.
I recommend this book especially to someone who wants to know more about the practicalities of international relations or who has an interest in the following subjects: the tensions between protestants and Catholics in Ireland, Margaret Thatcher, Egypt, British and Chinese relations regarding Hong Kong, the Israel/Palestine conflict or the middle east in general.
February 1, 2018
Very interesting account of a diplomatic life
This is an interesting inside look at what it means to rise up through the ranks of the British FCO. There are several entertaining anecdotes in it too. I thought there would have been more description of the personal domestic upheaval such a career requires and its effect on the family. But it is a good read, so I definitely recommend it.
This is an interesting inside look at what it means to rise up through the ranks of the British FCO. There are several entertaining anecdotes in it too. I thought there would have been more description of the personal domestic upheaval such a career requires and its effect on the family. But it is a good read, so I definitely recommend it.
February 7, 2025
The author really saw a lot of major life events - being in Lebanon when the Middle East Centre for Arab Studies in Beirut shut down because of the civil war in Lebanon, in Hong Kong for the transfer to China, in France when Princess Diana died, in Israel for 9/11, and subsequently Saudi Arabia and Afghanistan during the war on terror - there was a lot left unsaid but I can only imagine the things unsaid seen by a diplomat and ambassador that can be read between the lines.
April 26, 2025
Fantastic book. Very British, extremely interesting, and full of heart.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 2, 2015
Ever the Diplomat fascinated, frustrated and infuriated me in equal measures.
First of all, I should state that although I didn’t know Sherard personally, I did work in the FCO at the same time as him and our paths would have crossed occasionally (I was in the press office when he was in Private Office as Robin Cook’s Private Secretary). He was obviously a figure who loomed large in the office at the time, but I was a relatively junior diplomat so he wouldn’t have had a clue who I was. However, his book is peppered with references to people who I knew or knew of – starting with his early years when a couple of the fathers of my classmates at boarding school in the UK are namechecked; later on are mentions of people my own father worked with; and finally people I knew personally from my time in the office. From a personal viewpoint, this certainly helped make the book an entertaining read.
However, I am not sure how this translates for people who aren’t diplomats, former-diplomats or the children of diplomats. Is there just too much in-house information to make it interesting?
Hopefully not, although you may need to have a rudimentary knowledge of British foreign affairs to truely enjoy much of the book. But in many other ways I think it’s a really good portrayal of what life is like in the upper rankings of the Foreign Office. It didn’t much resemble what I experienced, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.
Sherard’s career was certainly a glittering one: Cairo (he was one of the famous Arabists of the office, otherwise known as the “camel corps”), Paris, Washington. Plum jobs in the UK. Later, ambassadorships in Israel and Saudi Arabia – apparently, the pinnacle of a career for an Arabist. He ended up as the UK’s special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is where it all seemed to go wrong for him. Whether because he wasn’t going to get the job at the end of his career he felt he deserved (there are only three or four really top jobs in the FCO and usually quite a few very senior diplomats vying for them) or for personal reasons (he split up from his wife during his time in Kabul, more of which below), he apparently took “extended leave” at the end of his posting and never returned….
Anyway, apart from that, Ever the Diplomat is certainly a well-written and largely entertaining book. Sherard is undoubtedly a very intelligent man and just the sort of person who would do well in the Foreign Office: he had the right background, he was the right gender, he went to the right university. The fact that he barely mentions women in the office until right at the end of the book (as if someone had read it and pointed out he really should mention that women do work in the office too) tells me a lot about him, and resonates with the sort of people I came across while working there. At one point he uses the term “the Private Office girls” to describe some of his female coworkers (see page 207).
As for his poor wife, Bridget, she gets barely more of a mention than his female colleagues. As many of us know, following (accompanying – you chose the terminology!) your partner to another country is no easy task. Upping sticks and doing it every two to four years, as the Cowper-Coles family did, can be downright distressful. Especially when you have five children. And yet, rarely does he talk about his wife positively, never does he discuss her immense role in his success. He may have wanted to leave family life out of his book as he believed he was writing about foreign policy and his career rather than anything personal. But for me, FCO life and family life go hand-in-hand. Personally, by ignoring his wife and what life was like for her and his children, I think he missed a huge trick. He might have left her out because of their subsequent divorce – or perhaps it was the other way round?
I also feel that whilst the account of his career gives us an excellent insight into the workings of the top echelons of the offce, it does rather ignore much of the rest of it: visa work, consular work, trade and investment, management…There is an awful lot more to the work of the FCO and our embassies and high commissions abroad than just the political side of things that Sherard shows us.
Other than this, Ever the Diplomat IS a good read and does contain a fair amount of interesting information and entertaining anecdotes. Sherard seems to have had an excellent window on the world throughout his career – Hong Kong department during the handover, Paris when Princess Diana was killed in the car crash, Saudi Arabia during the appalling Al Qaeda terrorist targeting of Westerners. He shows us this world from his own perspective and in an easy-going style that had me staying up late, turning pages ( in particular, for me, the chapter about Robin Cook – which coincided with my time in the press office, was fascinating). Other parts of the book I skimmed over – I couldn’t get excited about NATO or any of the defence policy sections. But overall, I would say this was a good read. As well as infuriating
First of all, I should state that although I didn’t know Sherard personally, I did work in the FCO at the same time as him and our paths would have crossed occasionally (I was in the press office when he was in Private Office as Robin Cook’s Private Secretary). He was obviously a figure who loomed large in the office at the time, but I was a relatively junior diplomat so he wouldn’t have had a clue who I was. However, his book is peppered with references to people who I knew or knew of – starting with his early years when a couple of the fathers of my classmates at boarding school in the UK are namechecked; later on are mentions of people my own father worked with; and finally people I knew personally from my time in the office. From a personal viewpoint, this certainly helped make the book an entertaining read.
However, I am not sure how this translates for people who aren’t diplomats, former-diplomats or the children of diplomats. Is there just too much in-house information to make it interesting?
Hopefully not, although you may need to have a rudimentary knowledge of British foreign affairs to truely enjoy much of the book. But in many other ways I think it’s a really good portrayal of what life is like in the upper rankings of the Foreign Office. It didn’t much resemble what I experienced, but that doesn’t mean it isn’t true.
Sherard’s career was certainly a glittering one: Cairo (he was one of the famous Arabists of the office, otherwise known as the “camel corps”), Paris, Washington. Plum jobs in the UK. Later, ambassadorships in Israel and Saudi Arabia – apparently, the pinnacle of a career for an Arabist. He ended up as the UK’s special representative to Afghanistan and Pakistan, which is where it all seemed to go wrong for him. Whether because he wasn’t going to get the job at the end of his career he felt he deserved (there are only three or four really top jobs in the FCO and usually quite a few very senior diplomats vying for them) or for personal reasons (he split up from his wife during his time in Kabul, more of which below), he apparently took “extended leave” at the end of his posting and never returned….
Anyway, apart from that, Ever the Diplomat is certainly a well-written and largely entertaining book. Sherard is undoubtedly a very intelligent man and just the sort of person who would do well in the Foreign Office: he had the right background, he was the right gender, he went to the right university. The fact that he barely mentions women in the office until right at the end of the book (as if someone had read it and pointed out he really should mention that women do work in the office too) tells me a lot about him, and resonates with the sort of people I came across while working there. At one point he uses the term “the Private Office girls” to describe some of his female coworkers (see page 207).
As for his poor wife, Bridget, she gets barely more of a mention than his female colleagues. As many of us know, following (accompanying – you chose the terminology!) your partner to another country is no easy task. Upping sticks and doing it every two to four years, as the Cowper-Coles family did, can be downright distressful. Especially when you have five children. And yet, rarely does he talk about his wife positively, never does he discuss her immense role in his success. He may have wanted to leave family life out of his book as he believed he was writing about foreign policy and his career rather than anything personal. But for me, FCO life and family life go hand-in-hand. Personally, by ignoring his wife and what life was like for her and his children, I think he missed a huge trick. He might have left her out because of their subsequent divorce – or perhaps it was the other way round?
I also feel that whilst the account of his career gives us an excellent insight into the workings of the top echelons of the offce, it does rather ignore much of the rest of it: visa work, consular work, trade and investment, management…There is an awful lot more to the work of the FCO and our embassies and high commissions abroad than just the political side of things that Sherard shows us.
Other than this, Ever the Diplomat IS a good read and does contain a fair amount of interesting information and entertaining anecdotes. Sherard seems to have had an excellent window on the world throughout his career – Hong Kong department during the handover, Paris when Princess Diana was killed in the car crash, Saudi Arabia during the appalling Al Qaeda terrorist targeting of Westerners. He shows us this world from his own perspective and in an easy-going style that had me staying up late, turning pages ( in particular, for me, the chapter about Robin Cook – which coincided with my time in the press office, was fascinating). Other parts of the book I skimmed over – I couldn’t get excited about NATO or any of the defence policy sections. But overall, I would say this was a good read. As well as infuriating
May 27, 2013
The second part of this book's title is rather misleading - it gives the impression that salacious revelations are the subject. The first part of the title is far more accurate. The book is a serious examination of Cowper-Coles's career with any hint of scandal or disagreement diplomatically handled. This is not to say that this is an uninteresting book, far from it. Cowper-Coles is a serious-minded, professional diplomat who has had some very interesting experiences including being PS to Robin Cook, handling the Hong Kong handover and being the ambassador to Israel and Saudi Arabia. The anecdotes are not stunning, but his explanation of the role of the Foreign Office and of the workings of the civil service certainly enhance one's respect for diplomats and politicians (a rare thing today). Occasionally it gets a bit bogged down in his admiration for the wonderful people he has worked with and the 'baddies' are rarely identified by name. Nonetheless, this is a serious and breezy read.
February 19, 2013
Very entertaining memoir, less revealing than one would have wished. However, the anecdotes run fast and thick. Cowper-Coles is a great judge of character. Forget the tank gaffe. Michael Dukakis's presidential run was doomed the moment he refused a fellow Greek-American's gift of lamb and champagne on the campaign trail. Fascinating and hilarious stories of Cowper-Coles's time in Cairo, Hong Kong (a great bird's-eye view of the handover), Paris, Jerusalem, Riyadh, and finally, Kabul. Moreover, great insight into how the Foreign Office selected persons for their diplomatic corps. From the perspective of someone who has taken the American Foreign Service examination multiple times (passing every time) with no offer of employment, Cowper-Coles's description of his hiring process was most interesting. Furthermore, the cover of the hardbound UK edition is delightfully politically incorrect and will probably never fly stateside.
May 6, 2022
Enjoyable and interesting read. Favourite chapters were the USA chapter, the Egypt chapter, the Robin Cook chapter, the chapter about working on the Ireland desk during the height of the NI troubles and the Saudi Arabia chapter. Would recommend to everyone - both civil servants and people who like to travel would especially like it.
June 14, 2013
An enjoyable and well written book that gives interesting insights into the diplomatic service and British foreign policy. I particularly enjoyed the chapter on Hong Kong having visited there last year. Highly recommended.
June 2, 2016
A very interesting and well-written book by a UK diplomat. Covers his recruitment process after leaving university and plenty of stories of events he encountered during his whole career.
If you are interested in politics and international relations you will enjoy this book.
If you are interested in politics and international relations you will enjoy this book.
January 7, 2013
Well written and often entertaining as this memoir is, one does not finish it feeling one has learned a great deal of what went on behind the scenes during Cowper-Coles's Foreign Office career.
January 21, 2013
The life of a diplomat laid out in sections - I only knew Sherard at the end of his career in the FCO but he has had quite a time of it!
December 10, 2013
An engaging book about the practice of diplomacy by a worthy representative of a country which raised the art to a high pinnacle... Compelling reading
April 1, 2015
Gives a great insight into the life of a diplomat and some of the situations Sherard was involved in. Full of hilarious moments, as well as serious reflections. Thoroughly enjoyable.
December 2, 2017
A quick, enjoyable read if you’re interested in how British foreign policy has been made over the last forty years or so. The chapters on Hong Kong and the author’s time as Robin Cook’s PPS are a particularly good overview of which levers have been open to us, and how they can be most effectively used. Inevitably the author having spent his whole career in the Foreign Office means that there’s more of a focus on processes rather than outcomes, but that’s revealing in and of itself about how a lot of decisions get made.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews