A Diplomat's Life: Memoirs of a Belgian Diplomat

Philippe Guillaume brings the reader on a journey across 20th-century international relations, showing what goes on behind closed doors. He combines snippets of humor and personal anecdotes with analyses of governmental decisions and a lively description of the inner workings of our world. Following Philippe Guillaume across the globe, as he delves into the culture and sensitivities of countries from Jamaica to Iran and Poland to Sub-Saharan Africa, a new understanding arises from the complexity of decisions, the changing influences of strategic geography and the impacts of some individuals on world politics. This book describes the role Belgium and its diplomats have in the world. It combines a deep comprehension of the Russian empire, the country's deteriorating relations with Gaddafi, its actions in Middle-Eastern trade. It reminds the reader that Belgium was a testing ground for the EU and had a central role in the construction of the European Union.