To the Secretary: Leaked Embassy Cables and America's Foreign Policy Disconnect - Tapa dura

"Mary Thompson-Jones has used the trove of WikiLeaks cables to provide a fascinating account of how diplomacy really works from the bottom up." -- Joseph Nye, Harvard University, author of Is the American Century Over? "Mary Thompson-Jones joined the foreign service in early 1989, one of the most fascinating moments in recent world history. With To the Secretary, Thompson-Jones gives us a through-the-keyhole view of high-stakes diplomacy, the quiet drama of secret cables, and the endlessly fascinating real-world problems that diplomats on the front lines of conflict zones and backstage political battles face every day. Via the WikiLeaks scandal, Thompson-Jones illustrates emergency responses within the foreign service and the role it played in steadying a teetering tower of foreign policy secrets." -- Ian Bremmer, president, Eurasia Group "For students of diplomacy, and also for diplomats themselves, the WikiLeaks documents including reports from U.S. foreign service officers was a fortunate revelation. Whatever the embarrassment they caused, they demonstrate, as Mary Thompson-Jones masterfully shows in her expert and fair analysis, why American foreign policy should be, but too often is not, shaped by the perspectives, knowledge, and perceptions of experienced diplomats in the field." -- Alan K. Henrikson, director of diplomatic studies, Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University "This amazing book should be on the reading list of every course on international relations, diplomacy, and U.S. foreign policy. Beautifully written by an experienced diplomat, it brings to life actual challenges that officials at American embassies face daily, by presenting revealing quotes from 251,287 leaked telegrams on subjects ranging from crises to corruption." -- Ambassador (ret.) William A. Rugh, Tufts University

An insider's look into the day-to-day work of US diplomats, To the Secretary offers an unparalleled window into American foreign policy as it plays out around the world. In a tour of the most fascinating and overlooked State Department cables leaked by hackers in November 2010, Mary Thompson-Jones depicts the work of ambassadors and foreign service officers through their first-hand narratives dealing with crises, corruption, anti-Americanism and difficult world leaders. From the story of Bulgaria's Aleksi "The Tractor" Petrov to disappearing ballot ink in Ukraine, she reveals the depth and breadth of embassy life. Honest and critical, To the Secretary describes the gulf between decision makers in Washington and diplomats in the field-and what that means.