by William A. Rugh

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This second edition features short vignettes describing how American diplomats working in the Middle East dealt with a variety of challenges over the last decades of the 20th century. The stories include: the Palestinian siege of the U.S. embassy in Damascus; the bombing of the embassy in Jidda; the delicate relationships in Syria with the president’s brother and with the Jewish community; working with the Yemeni president on threats from the Marxist regime in Aden; and briefing President George H.W. Bush before the 1991 Gulf War. Each of the vignettes concludes with an insight about diplomatic practice derived from the experience. The book is intended to help prospective diplomats and students of international relations understand the real situations facing our Foreign Service Officers and how diplomacy is actually conducted..

William A. Rugh was a United States Foreign Service Officer for 31 years. He had three assignments in Washington and nine assignments at embassies abroad, including as American ambassador to Yemen and to the United Arab Emirates. He holds a PhD in International Relations and has taught courses on diplomacy and the Middle East at Tufts and Northeastern Universities. He has published five books and numerous journal articles and op-eds.

By William A. Rugh

Purchase

In short vignettes, this book describes how American diplomats working in the Middle East dealt with a variety of challenges over the last decades of the 20th century. The stories include: the Palestinian siege of the U.S. embassy in Damascus; the bombing of the embassy in Jidda; the delicate relationships in Syria with the president’s brother and with the Jewish community; working with the Yemeni president on threats from the Marxist regime in Aden; and briefing President George H.W. Bush before the 1991 Gulf War. Each of the vignettes concludes with an insight about diplomatic practice derived from the experience. The book is intended to help prospective diplomats and students of international relations understand the real situations facing our Foreign Service Officers and how diplomacy is actually conducted.

William A. Rugh was a United States Foreign Service Officer for 31 years. He had two assignments in Washington and eight assignments at embassies abroad, including as American ambassador to Yemen and to the United Arab Emirates. He holds a PhD in International Relations and has taught courses on diplomacy and the Middle East at Tufts and Northeastern Universities. He has published five books and numerous journal articles and op-Eds.

Foreword by His Holiness the Dalai Lama
by David L. Phillips

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David L. Phillips is Director of the Program on Peace-building and Rights at Columbia University’s Institute for the Study of Human Rights. Phillips served as Foreign Affairs Expert and as Senior Adviser to the U.S. Department of State and as Senior Adviser to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. He has worked at academic institutions as Executive Director of Columbia’s International Conflict Resolution Program, Director of American University’s Program on Conflict Prevention and Peace-building, a Fellow at Harvard University’s Future of Diplomacy Project, Visiting Scholar at Harvard’s Center for Middle East Studies, and Professor at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna. He worked at think-tanks such as the Council on Foreign Relations, the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Atlantic Council, and the International Peace Research Institute, Oslo. Phillips has also been a foundation executive, serving as President of the Congressional Human Rights Foundation and Executive Director of the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity. Phillips was an analyst and commentator for NBC News, CNBC, and the British Broadcasting Company. He has authored many books, policy reports and opinion pieces.