Getting Our Way: 500 Years of Adventure and Intrigue: The Inside Story of British Diplomacy

by Christopher Meyer

A highly informed insider's account of some of the "honest men" of Britain, as they sought, by fair means or by foul, to help their country make its way in the world   This inside account of the front lines of international diplomacy recounts nine stories from Britain's diplomatic annals over the last 500 years. It’s an inside account of their extraordinary experiences—sometimes in the face of physical danger and often at history's hinge. Be it Henry Killigrew's mission to Edinburgh in 1572, Our Man in Washington and the Nassau Deal, or the handover of Hong Kong to China, we can see how Britain has viewed its interests in the world and sought to advance them. Each story is illuminated by colorful anecdotes and insights drawn from Christopher Meyer's firsthand experience of international relations. Moreover, the book is a salutary reminder that foreign policy and diplomacy in all countries begin and end with the national interest. And far from being the preserve of aloof aristocrats, the pursuit of our national interest is replete with an extraordinary combination of high principle and low cunning, vice and virtue—all with the specific aim of getting our way.

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Politics, British Literature

288 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

Reviews

[Sherwood Smith]

Written by an insider, it really was not an inside look, but so facile an overview it slides the reader right over the surface of events, especially historical events. As a look at the diplomatic mindset it is a real disappointment. I should have known better than to expect anything insightful from someone writing about his own time. (And the historical stuff was little better than soundbites.)

I'm glad I got it used; passing it on.

[Kiona · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dropped due to being too monotone

[Levin Low · Rating 3 out of 5]

diplomatic incidents 🤝🏻 british humour

[T.A. Keenleyside · Rating 4 out of 5]

An informative and entertaining look at over 500 years of British diplomacy, most of it pertinent to other powers.