Customer Reviews

Career Diplomacy: Life and Work in the U.S. Foreign Service

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I've had many informal chats with current and retired FSOs and heard many VIPs from the State Department speak about their careers over the past four years (first in Peace Corps and then coordinating conferences on diplomacy and national security here in DC). If I were to put together all of the bits and pieces I've picked up about the interagency process and life as a diplomat along the way, it still wouldn't amount to what I learned reading this book.

The book is very well written, with humor (perhaps the kind only past, current or future public servants will appreciate), concision and breadth that covers everything from the politics of the institution to the future of the career. It's also dead honest: it avoids creating any romantic notion of the foreign service and replaces it with a straightforward account upon which aspiring diplomats can set realistic expectations (or decide to pursue other careers).

If you are considering a career in the foreign service (at the Department of State, USAID, Foreign Commercial Service or Foreign Agricultural Service), or if you are interested in demystifying the structure of the US foreign service, this is a book you must read.

With all of the talk in the current political campaign about rebuilding America's diplomacy, it is critical that anyone interested in foreign affairs understand one of the essential tools of diplomacy: the men and women of the diplomatic service. This comprehensive but concise book is the best description of the work and life of the Foreign Service that I have read (and I have been in the FS nearly 30 years). It is an honest and unapologetic look at the strengths and weaknesses of the foreign service, crisply written, with voices from across the service. For anyone contemplating a career in diplomacy, this book should be your first stop. For everyone else, this book provides a clear and accessible view of a part of the federal government unfamiliar to most Americans.

I first purchased Kopp and Gillespie's book as a citizen considering a career in the Foreign Service. Although it includes plenty of testimony from frontline diplomats making a heroic difference across the world, "Career Diplomacy" is more than a peek into the day to day of Foreign Service Officers (FSOs). It is part history of the service, part employee manual, and part crystal ball.

Already familiar with the typical Fortune 500 career ladder, Kopp and Gillespie detailed for me how a career in the Foreign Service would proceed. Included is everything from how the promotion and tenure process works, to how country assignments are determined, even to the text of the oath every new FSO recites (for me, one of the more inspiring points). The authors also spend time on the future of the Foreign Service: its "transformational" path and the new skills that will be required of its newest diplomats. For a book about an organization in the midst of generational change it is strongest for its contemporary and forward looking detail.

Most importantly for me though, and perhaps for others considering a career in the Foreign Service, "Career Diplomacy" has reminded me that the Foreign Service is more than just expatriate adventures in exotic faraway places. It is, at the end of the day, about serving your country. Something that I have long felt the call to do but have never been sure of where I would best fit. To that end, "Career Diplomacy" answered the right questions that have pushed my status from "considering" to "applying."

"Career Diplomacy" is not a book to read just for fun. It is book to read if you are interested in becoming a foreign service officer.

Career Diplomacy is a book full of facts. We are told how diplomats are hired, trained, and promoted. We are given, complete with organizational chart, the structure of the State Department. We are shown, in a table format, what foreign service officers earn and in line item format what the the State Department spends on its various programs. The reader is simply bomabared with the dry details and minutea of the inner-workings of the State Department.

Weaved between these dry facts, are some genuinely interesting stories. We are told how diplomacy -- the diplomacy of a career diplomat -- saved Portugal from becoming a communist country. We are given "let-me-tell-what-happened-to-me" stories of lower ranking diplomats in Iraq. We are told how the State Department implemented an effective AIDS treatment program in Africa. More of such stories, and fewer charts and tables, would have made Career Diplomacy a more interesting book. However, doing so would have changed Career Diplomacy from its main puprose, that of an information guide for budding diplomats, into the realm of pleasure reading for the general reader.

This is not a general interest book. Career Diplomacy is, however, a MUST READ for anyone considering a career in diplomacy or already in the midst of the application process. Most readers with a cursory interest in diplomacy or statecraft are better served with more journalistic fare. Those already working for the State Department or other Federal agencies with employees abroad don't need this book because they have lived experiences. But if you are a potential or actual job applicant and really want to know the nuts and bolts of a job in Foreign Service this book is essential. This book will provide you with concrete information about what is expected of you, the application processes, the strengths and weaknesses of the system, tips on how to advance your career, and future trends in diplomacy. It will help you make decisions about your career and may even provide some additional confidence to help with your candidacy.

Reading this book was one of the most valuable things I did prior to the Foreign Service Oral Assessment (I passed, btw.)

Not only do you get a great overview of the FS past, present, and future, you also get a fine example of foreign service writing. The authors are career FSOs and the recent publication date (2008) means the information is timely.

This is an easy, comfortable read and a good, non-political account of the foreign service. Well worth the money.

For anyone who has an interest in or is starting a career in Foreign Servince, Harry Kopp's Career Diplomacy is a definitive text that explores all aspects of the field.

Descriptive and filled with very informative interviews and analysis, Career Diplomacy allows one to see the various ins and outs of the profession and leaves the ultimate decision making in the reader's hands.

As someone who was considering a career change to the Foreign Service, I wanted to know everything so I could make an informed decision. The book really allowed me to see exactly what I would be getting myself into. I also believe that Kopp's text provides some valuable insight for those who pass the Foreign Service examination and want to know what the right steps are after entering the profession. I strongly recommend this book as the ultimate handbook for prospective and career diplomats.

This is a highly informative book, a great resource for anyone seeking to understand how the Foreign Service functions (and a lot more of us should); even how the State Department is organized. I learned a great deal here, and the best part is that the learning was fun. Too often, books about weighty subjects tend to induce migraine -- not many writers can convey serious information in masterful, reader-friendly prose. Career Diplomacy accomplishes this task; the outstanding quality of the writing here reminded me of the 9/11 Commission Report. Ambassadors Kopp and Gillespie did a great public service with this work.

From a historical and practical standpoint, this book is very educational. Well written, it provides a look at the Foreign Service and State Dept for those interested in employment. A must for anyone preparing for the FSOT and Oral Assessments.

This book provides a well-rounded and in-depth introduction to the U.S. Foreign Service. I understand much better now the purpose and history of the service. I appreciate the author's honest look at the service - covering good and bad points.