The Ambassador

Inside the Life of a Working Diplomat

Drawing from the life and work of one of the world’s most accomplished diplomats, Sweden’s Jan Eliasson, The Ambassador shows how diplomacy influences global political debates and international relations. Eliasson provided the author unusual access to his work during his final years in Washington as an ambassador. Shaw attended policy meetings, watched Eliasson give speeches, host high-level receptions, and interact with other senior diplomats. The Ambassador offers a behind-the-scenes perspective of modern diplomacy. After leaving Washington, Eliasson served as the president of United Nations General Assembly, Sweden’s foreign minister, the UN’s special envoy for Darfur, and the Deputy Secretary-General of the United Nations. Former Supreme Court Justice, Sandra Day O’Connor, provided the forward.

PRAISE

“John Shaw’s compelling account of one of the world’s most remarkable super-diplomats is important for all students of international relations. This study of Swedish Ambassador Jan Eliasson’s activities and initiatives in Washington reveal both the complexities and personalities that drive the policies of nations in the world today.”
—Richard Lugar, former chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee

“The Ambassador should be obligatory reading for anyone interested in learning what makes some ambassadors influential and others irrelevant. John Shaw has written a fascinating account of the strategy, tactics, and tools that an ambassador from a small country can employ to successfully compete in the big leagues of Washington diplomacy.”
—Moises Naim, editor-in-chief, Foreign Policy

“This book provides a readable, wide-ranging and comprehensive account of what modern ambassadors really do.”
—Brent Scowcroft, former National Security Advisor to Presidents Gerald Ford and George H.W. Bush

“Any newly nominated ambassador to Washington should have John Shaw’s in-depth profile of what it takes to succeed in the world’s political capital.”
—Chester Crocker, professor of diplomacy, Georgetown University

“More than a vivid, highly readable account of a master-diplomat, this book is also a highly persuasive argument for the critical role The Ambassador can play in the 21st century.”
—Strobe Talbott, president of the Brookings Institution, former deputy Secretary of State

“A compelling profile of an exceptionally gifted diplomat, The Ambassador provides a rich, insightful and dynamic portrait of modern diplomacy itself.”
—Diane Orentlicher, professor of International Law, American University

“One of the sharpest observers of Washington’s diplomatic scene, John Shaw provides a lively, thought-provoking revelation of what it takes today to be a successful ambassador.”
—Walter Cutler, former U.S. ambassador, President Emeritus of Meridian International