Product Details

• Actors: Alex Chadwick
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Studio: National Geographic Video
• DVD Release Date: November 26, 2002
• Run Time: 60 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B00006G8K4
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #81,666 in Movies & TV (See Bestsellers in Movies & TV)

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Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover
What does an American ambassador really do, and how does he or she deal with the dangers of serving in a potentially hostile nation? In this unique program, National Geographic ventures past the heavily guarded gates of four American embassies to find out. Among those profiled is single mother Wendy Chamberlain, who was the new ambassador to Islamic Pakistan when al Queda terrorists attacked America on September 11. She relates how, with family and staff members sent back to the U.S. for security reasons, she held talks with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf to determine whether the one-time Taliban ally would support President Bush's war on terrorism. It was a turning point in the crisis, and one of several dramatic moments in this fascinating, highly personal look at American foreign policy.

Product Description
National Geographic goes behind the scenes with unprecedented access to witness three of America's diplomats at work in three remarkably different countries: Japan, Pakistan and Guatemala. Journey behind embassy walls and closed doors to learn what drives these ambassadors to a life of conquest and compromise, danger and even deception. Meet some of the remarkable women and men, trained in the demanding arts of diplomacy, who are charged with keeping America's relations stable and strong in the midst of crisis and calm.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Outside The Embassy, May 24, 2005

By	Mark Byron "markbyrn" (Orlando, FL USA) - See all my reviews

Having worked in an Embassy, this National Geographic documentary does a marginal job of encapsulating the top level mission of an Embassy as seen through various Ambassadors, but the title is certainly misleading. Other than a brief glimpse of a hapless junior foreign service officer working in the consular office and an Ambassador's residence, all you see is the 'outside' of the Embassy. The rest of the State Department functions and other agencies that make up an Embassy are simply ignored in favor of one dimensional political intrigue. For example, the US Ambassador to Guatemala is shown as an overly strong figure lecturing the President of Guatemala about corruption in his impoverished country, but nothing is said about the US Agency for International Development's (USAID) role in providing hundreds of millions of dollars in U.S. aid to assist Guatemala. Assistance programs are a big part of the Embassy's mission in developing countries, but the good folks at National Geographic chose to ignore this important element. While the film is useful for those want to get an Ambassador's viewpoint on how they approach the job, don't expect to learn anything about an Embassy and the film is too topical and is already out of date.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Disappointing documentary, January 30, 2005

By	Stefano Baldi - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I do not think it really explains what an Embassy does and what and Ambassador is and represents. It is a rather confusing presentation of different situations and experiences. Unfortunately there are very few films or videos on diplomacy, that is why this DVD can still be a useful tool for those interested in diplomatic activity.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love it!, January 7, 2004

By	whea-wix (USA) - See all my reviews

Our school uses this National Geographic video extensively in our Foreign Policy unit. I am glad to see it here!