American Ambassadors - by D Jett (Paperback)

About the Book

"The way in which people become ambassadors of the United States is the result of time-honored traditions and, in some cases, the most thinly veiled form of corruption in American government. "American Ambassadors" explains where ambassadors come from, what they do, where they go and why they still matter. It offers an insider's look at the complex bureaucratic process that determines who becomes an ambassador and the different paths to the title that are taken by career diplomats and political appointees. It describes how an ambassador's effectiveness is measured and why at least four ambassadors in recent years have resigned because of poor performance. It demonstrates how the embassy to which as ambassador is sent can depend on a person's race, gender, religion, sexual orientation and the size of their campaign contributions. And it makes the case for why, in today's ever more globalized world, their work is more important than ever"--

Book Synopsis

Some of those named as American ambassadors are the product of both a time-honored tradition and a thinly veiled form of corruption. 'American Ambassadors' explains how a person becomes an ambassador, where they go, what they do and why, in today's ever more globalized world, they are more important than ever.

Review Quotes

"American Ambassadors is an engaging read for both those who know little to nothing about US foreign diplomacy and those familiar with the process yet intrigued by the nuances of the system. ... The book is very well organized and the chapters are arranged so as to be useful to both novices and professionals. ... Ambassador Jett has put together a thoroughly enjoyable book. ... This is a highly recommended book to anyone interested in the American style of diplomacy!" (Sean Cosden, H-Net Humanities & Social Sciences Online, networks.h-net.org, June, 2017)

About the Author

Dennis Jett is a former American ambassador and current professor at Penn State University's School of International Affairs. His career in the U.S. Foreign Service spanned twenty-eight years and three continents, and his academic expertise focuses on international relations, foreign aid administration, and American foreign policy. Immediately prior to joining Penn State, he was dean of the International Center at the University of Florida for eight years. Jett's previous book, Why American Foreign Policy Fails: Unsafe at Home and Despised Abroad (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008) was called a "bracing read" that analyzes how "American foreign policy has become completely captive to American domestic politics" by Anne-Marie Slaughter, dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. Jett has been interviewed on Jim Lehrer News Hour, CNN, NPR and other national news programs on a range of international issues including peacekeeping, democracy, Peru, Liberia, and terrorism. Additionally, he has written more than eighty opinion pieces for major newspapers including the International Herald Tribune, Los Angeles Times, New York Times, Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, and Miami Herald.