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Book of the Month - September 2010

The Diplomat's Dictionary by Chas. W. Freeman, Jr.
United States Institute of Peace Press, 2010, $13.57, paperback, 362 pages.

With The Diplomat’s Dictionary, Chas. W. Freeman adds the job of lexicographer to his already impressive list of accomplishments. Now in its second edition, the Dictionary provides useful facts, humorous observations and general aphorisms about diplomacy in over 475 new entries, from “abruptness” to “zealots.”

Readers will appreciate this collection of humorous, poignant and helpful definitions of terms clearly related to diplomacy (such as “diplomats”) and some whose connection is not immediately as obvious (such as “words,” about which Winston Churchill famously said, “To jaw-jaw is always better than to war-war”).

The Diplomat’s Dictionary is not an ordinary reference work. Through quotations, summaries and straightforward definitions, Freeman helps readers learn new terms and explore different sides of terms with which they are already familiar. The book concludes with short biographies of those quoted in the book, as well as a bibliography and extensive index. Diplomats and casual readers alike will appreciate the wit and charm of this unconventional dictionary.

Chas. W. Freeman, a retired FSO, served in India, Taiwan, China, Thailand and Saudi Arabia. He was the principal American interpreter on President Nixon’s visit to China in 1972 and served as Ambassador to Saudi Arabia during the Gulf War. He was a USIP senior fellow in 1994-95 and has also authored Arts of Power: Statecraft and Diplomacy.