The Diplomat's Dictionary
by Charles W. Freeman, Jr. (1997) United States Institute of Peace Press, Washington DC, U.S.A. 451 pp. ISBN: 1878379666
The Diplomat's Dictionary (TDD) consists of alphabetically arranged
quotations with the author's comments (the core of the dictionary, with 321
pages), a 15-page section on Persons (with essential biodata), a 105-page
Index (concepts, authors, key-ideas, organizations), and information on the
United States Institute of Peace (goals, activities, structure).
The first edition of this book, published in 1994, sold out in a
few months, attesting to the work's immediate appeal. The US Institute of
Peace has now launched this revised 1997 edition, which features 80 new
entries. In the biographical note, we are told that Freeman "has led a
distinguished diplomatic career, including service overseas in India,
Taiwan, China, Thailand and Saudi Arabia". Of special interest to
Newsletter readers is the fact that the author is fluent in several
languages, having been the principal interpreter during Nixon's visit to
the People's Republic of China in 1972. Freeman's advice to diplomats
concerning the importance of interpreters is well worth quoting: "It is
wise for a negotiator, even if he speaks the language of the other side
well, to use an interpreter. This preserves the principle that he regards
his own language as authoritative, assures that his statements reflect a
full command of the nuances involved, maintains a record of discussion in
his own language, reassures those on his own negotiating team who may not
speak the foreign language as well as he, and gives him extra time to
consider how best to conduct himself as discussion proceeds".
Given this Newsletter's focus on Global Issues, the following
10-item checklist was used to see how well TDD fared:
1. Cross-cultural(ism)
2. Democracy
3. Development
4. Environment
5. Human Rights
6. Global(ism)
7. Language
8. Peace
9. Understanding
10. War
A check of the above items shows that specific entries for 2, 7, 8,
9 and 10 are dealt with in varying degrees of explicitness. Conspicuously
absent are Cross-culturalism, Development, Environment, Human Rights and
Globalism. In fairness, it should be noted that there are entries for
cross-cultural friendship, cultural differences in gestures and for
language and culture in diplomacy.
Omissions notwithstanding, TDD features important concepts such as
empathy (98-99), intelligence (138-139), morality (174-175), negotiation
(182-184) and power (222-223). The author's commendable cultural pluralism
is reflected in his inclusion of Arab, Dutch, English, French, German,
Latin, Persian, Portuguese and Russian proverbs.
Since this is primarily a book of quotations, who does Freeman
quote? Most-often-quoted thinkers are: Henry Kissinger (59 times), Adam
Watson (31), Francois de Callieres (24), Harold Nicolson (23), Niccolo
Machiavelli (21), William Macomber (19), Chester Crocker (18), and
Talleyrand (17).
Freeman describes his book as a compilation of the lore of
statecraft and diplomacy, and makes this important clarification: "I
deliberately did not include terms like Third World that I thought were
possibly stereotypes of our era rather than enduring factors in diplomacy.
Nor did I include many topics of current diplomacy, including some
important ones like ecology". He very humbly adds: "The book is by a
practitioner, for practitioners".
A great deal can be said in praise of this brilliantly revealed
lore of the fascinating profession of diplomacy. Language educators who
wish to enhance their inter- (or trans-) disciplinary preparation, and to
become enlightened on the conceptual-terminological wealth of the learned
profession of diplomatic suasion will do well to add this work to their
list of inspired and inspiring books. Both the author and publisher are to
be congratulated on making TDD available. Although English is now said to
be a global language (cf. David Crystal's new book, "English as a Global
Language", Cambridge University Press, l997), translations of this work in
other languages should be done, so as to more universally disseminate it.
Freeman has succeeded in communicating his diplomatic wisdom and wit with
clarity and grace.
