Based on an extraordinary career that spanned the second half of the 20th century, this witty compendium of anecdotes and tall tales combined with political cartoons provides a light-hearted look at the world of international diplomacy. Through a variety of reminiscences, the lives of diplomats are shown to have more than their fair share of absurdity and high comedy. Required not only to sacrifice a settled home and family life in the service of their country, they must also heroically offer up their livers to booze, their stomachs to endless official dinners, their integrity to dangerous liaisons and the weasel-art of spin, and their sanity to the pomposity and weird protocols that are part and parcel of the international scene. From the heady negotiations of global statecraft to the petty and labyrinthine politics of ministers and mandarins, this collection depicts a hilarious and insightful tour of duty in the diplomatic world.