Foreign Service

In Foreign Service, John Kneale provides a candid and personal account of his career as a Canadian External Affairs officer. From the exotic, fascinating locations of his foreign postings, the reader receives many unique and surprising insights into the lives of the members of the foreign service, the conditions under which they live and operate, and the challenges with which they are faced. This penetrating narrative brings exotic cultures to life and exposes the difficulties of representing Canada's interests abroad when faced with unfamiliar foreign politics and, frequently, domestic political indifference. Engaging chapters include: newly-independent Algeria; Mexico during the oil boom; Iran in the throes of a fundamentalist Islamic revolution and the crisis of the American hostages; Ecuador when Canada could not decide whether to have an embassy there or not; and New York at the dawn of the free trade era. With wry humour and an eye for the incongruous, John Kneale has offered both a fascinating read and a sharp critique of the way Canada manages its foreign missions.