Bücher veröffentlicht von New Academia Publishing, LLC

The rise and fall of civilizations has been a fact of history since before it was recorded. It is a normal process. So what is the particular significance of Egypt's descent from a wealthy, organized, sophisticated society into the chaotic milieu that reigns today? Perhaps it relates to the nature of the yawning gap that exists between that sophistication that endured for more than four thousand years and earned Egypt the title, om el donya, mother of the world, as Egyptians refer to her, and the social and cultural degradation over the last two thousand years since the last pharaoh, Cleopatra, departed the scene.As the living gods, the pharaohs were the pivots around which all social institutions turned, creating stability, prosperity, and security for four millennia. The death of the last pharaoh, therefore, was not merely an event that signaled loss of independence and a transfer of power to Rome. It signaled the collapse of the foundations of society and the beginning of a steep decline into chaos.For the following two millennia, a succession of foreign occupations and despotic rulers undermined Egypt's national identity, exported her wealth to far away seats of power, imported a new language and culture and spawned social values that are inimical to the very notion of modernity. Understanding these developments provides one possible route to getting a handle on the social and cultural deterioration and its effects in Egypt. This may also allow insight into developments today not only in Egypt, but also in the greater Middle East that surrounds her.

This memoir is a fascinating reading for the general reader, while at the same time educational, describing the challenges facing a Foreign Service political officer concerned, during the Cold War, with relations with the Soviet Union and Africa. "Russian cab drivers, Tsarist palaces, Kremlin leaders, Foggy Bottom, and the African jungle--they are all here in Tom Buchanan's witty and fast-paced memoir of a fascinating life in the Foreign Service. As one of our most experienced Russia specialists, Buchanan was on hand in Washington, Moscow, and Leningrad for many momentous Cold War events. His frank and absorbing account and advice for the future are well worth reading." -EDWARD HURWITZ, U.S. Ambassador (ret.) "This delightful book is full of excitement, humor, and wisdom. Buchanan's adventures from Africa to Russia, with excursions in France and Norway, range from the harrowing to the hilarious. The book . . . shows how hard work, courage, and a sense of humor on the part of both spouses can make Foreign Service life productive and enjoyable. And it is fun to read as well." -ROGER KIRK, U.S. Ambassador (ret.) "A joyful and fascinating account of a distinguished and devoted Foreign Service couple who served in Russia, Central Africa, and Washington. The reader will find unique insights into the historical times of the Cold War and beyond and a gold mine of reflections on the Soviet era in Moscow and Leningrad, where Americans and Russians vied for advantage. The Buchanans were examples of the very best in the Foreign Service." -GARY MATTHEWS, U.S. Ambassador (ret.) Much of Tom Buchanan's career focused on the Soviet Union: interrogating defectors in Germany; seconded to NATO as a Soviet expert; head of the Foreign Political Section in Moscow during the Cuban Missile Crisis and the death of President Kennedy; deputy in EUR/SOV; political counselor in Moscow during the first Nixon-Brezhnev Summit; and, as his final post, consul general in Leningrad. After retiring in 1981, he worked in Moscow with INS and USAID. His Africa-related service included efforts to counter Soviet infiltration of Africa. Along the way he writes of his early life, his education, and his service in World War II. He also shares stories of family adventures in Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Provence, and concludes with thoughts about life in the Foreign Service, the practice of diplomacy, and the final journey.

This book is an account of the author's sometimes comical, sometimes frustrating, but always enlightening adventures as a diplomat in seven countries. As a former academic who had worked and traveled in some sixty countries of the world before joining the Foreign Service, Huffman provides trenchant commentary on the history, culture, and political situation in each country. Written with a light touch, the book critiques some of the stifling bureaucracy and resultant inefficiency of the U.S. Department of State, along with practical recommendations for improvement. In the Prologue he describes the circuitous route by which a Virginia farm boy became a professor and diplomat. This brief introductory account of the first fifty years of the author's life establishes his credentials. Your Diplomats at Work is a richly detailed memoir of the author's varied experiences across two careers.