I recently released my new book “Diplomatic Notes - Memoirs of a Diplomat”. This will be a revelation to many, as I spent 30 years in the foreign service! In view of the ANC’s conference beginning 22 December 2017 and the choice of President Zuma’s successor, and the presidential elections in 2019, I’d like to draw your attention to a few extracts from chapters in my book, which appear below.
Some of you have already bought my book. Thank you so much for doing so. If you enjoyed reading it, as some of you have already indicated, may I ask that you share this message with your friends and people you believe would be interested. I’m also open to any positive or negative comments, they can only help me to improve on my future publications.
Quick Link: Click below to get more information and to get a free sample of the comprehensive 265 page ebook. Go to:
http://bit.ly/DiplomaticNotes-ebook
The book focuses on my experiences in the South African foreign service, which are generic to all foreign services under different circumstances and with different actors. It is a memoir that virtually all diplomats, special envoys, consular officers, students in foreign and diplomatic relations and those fascinated by foreign affairs from a South African perspective, will relate to.
Given the dilemma faced by some American diplomats, in the era of Donald Trump, there may even be a few parallels with South African diplomats in the apartheid years.
This is a unique account of aspects of my diplomatic life, which I started writing 20 years ago.
The book contains 18 chapters and each chapter is a separate story in itself – covering experiences in the USA, UK, Ireland, China (including Tibet), North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and South Africa.
Click below to get more information and to get a free sample of the comprehensive 265 page ebook. Go to:
http://bit.ly/DiplomaticNotes-ebook
CHAPTER EXTRACTS
Here are a few chapters in my book that reveal some insights into the character traits of some of our Presidents, Ministers and Senior Officials. These are or were the people responsible for making crucially important decisions on behalf of South Africa; some public figures, who in private, all too often revealed themselves to be unprofessional in their behaviour, extravagant in their use of public funds, thoughtless in their decisions, cowardly in the presence of their seniors, and malicious in their actions. Some incidents were more pleasant though, but usually with foreigners.
Some examples from chapters in my book, Diplomatic Notes, might tempt you to consider buying my book. I certainly hope so. If you don’t want to buy it as a Christmas present to yourself, feel free to buy it as a Christmas present for me ;)
Chapter 5: “Unfortunately, the Consul-General …. Was not the kind to size up a situation quickly and take a decision. … he wanted to get advice from Pretoria. It was 02h00 a.m. in Pretoria and we would have to wait at least eight more hours before getting a coherent instruction from South Africa. By the time I returned to New York the damage was done”.
Chapter 6: “Flash bulbs popped and questions were asked which drew some reluctant responses from the two leaders. I also entered the room and could see that our President’s press spokesman and the Director-General, van Heerden, were livid. I thought it all worked out quite well”.
Chapter 7: “My quest for invisibility suddenly took on a new sense of urgency, particularly when it was announced that the Queen and Prince Philip would enter the room where we were all waiting ready and categorised according to our respective regions of the world”.
Chapter 10: “The outcome of this unpleasant exchange was that I was denied any opportunity to pursue research about affirmative action. As a result, there were some unexpected consequences for me and the Director-General. The first consequence was my decision to seek some ‘insurance’ against Evans”.
Chapter 10: “This was where I undoubtedly became an accessory to his crime when I called my colleague in Vienna and decided to help Dawood get back to South Africa. My colleague also became an accessory by driving from Vienna to fetch Dawood and spirit him through the border back to Austria in his diplomatic vehicle”.
Chapter 15: “One can only wonder at the Minister’s thought processes. She was not only prepared to excuse human rights abuses in China, but also appeared quite willing to excuse sexual harassment by one of her own ambassadors; even after an official enquiry carried out by senior officials of her own Department had found him guilty of such abuse. Clearly, she considered telling the truth more damaging than being a sexual predator. The predator's wife eventually replaced Dlamini-Zuma as Minister of Foreign Affairs”.
Chapter 15: “Several years would pass before it finally dawned on me that my ambassador's behavior had been motivated by sheer panic. After all, he was essentially in Beijing to protect the interests of the Communist Party, both in South Africa and China, and any criticism of China was essentially a criticism of the Party”.
Chapter 15: “……. particularly the Deputy Director-General responsible for Asian and Middle Eastern Affairs. He was clearly scared to death of the Minister and lacked both the inclination and the courage to intervene …..”.
Chapter 16: “Despite his promise to get back to me, I never met directly with the Director-General on this issue again. In fact, I would not speak to him again until some five years later”.
Chapter 16: “My boss, a former Ambassador with more experience and more knowledge about our foreign policy than the DDG, was being humiliated. I was incensed. I noticed that the room did not have enough chairs and that some people were huddled together on table tops”.
Click below to get more information and to get a free sample of the comprehensive 265 page ebook. Go to:
http://bit.ly/DiplomaticNotes-ebook
Warm regards,
Duke Kent-Brown
Please visit my Blog:
www.Duke-Kent-Brown.tk