Description: A former American diplomat reveals a disconnect between Washington policymakers and those who work in US embassies.
Brief description: Mary Thompson-Jones, director of the global studies and international relations program at Northeastern University, was a career diplomat and foreign policy practitioner in the U.S. Department of State for twenty-three years. She lives in Boston.
Review Quotes: For students of diplomacy, and also for diplomats themselves, the WikiLeaks documents including reports from U.S. foreign service officers was a fortunate revelation. Whatever the embarrassment they caused, they demonstrate, as Mary Thompson-Jones masterfully shows in her expert and fair analysis, why American foreign policy should be, but too often is not, shaped by the perspectives, knowledge, and perceptions of experienced diplomats in the field.--Alan K. Henrikson, director of diplomatic studies, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University