The Craft of Political Analysis for Diplomats (ADST-DACOR Diplomats and Diplomacy)

This is a unique description of how political analysis actually functions at the U.S. Department of State, written from the point of view of a highly experienced, (retired) senior practitioner. The author was a career Political Officer in the Foreign Service had during the course of his career had plum, high-profile assignments in Moscow, from which the bulk of the examples in the book are drawn, including some of his own declassified cables.Despite the Soviet/Russian focus of the material presented, the broader conceptual framework the author presents is universal, well thought out, and should be understandable to both the layman and foreign affairs professional. The central point is that political analysis in diplomacy is most akin to a craft - it is not a hard science, nor a soft science, but an informed synthesis of available facts, judicious weighing of the importance of different societal and individual power dynamics, and explanatory context. In this respect, it is a lot like intelligence analysis (about which much more has been written). The crucial difference is that the reporting officer in the field is at the same time both a firsthand witness and an analyst, rather than a "pure" analyst sitting in a cubicle in Washington trying to interpret others' reporting. In fact, what the author is talking about in this book is political reporting in a diplomatic context, but he since he emphasizes the responsibility of the reporting officer to analyze, interpret and present policy options/recommendations/implications, the book title's focus on political analysis is fair.Foreign affairs professionals who are in the early or middle phases of their careers will probably get the most practical use out of this book, which also describes in-depth the realities of Washington and how the policy sausage gets made; political reporting needs to be timely, relevant and - if not biased - at least cognizant of the policy context in which it will be received. Those readers who are not directly involved in the foreign affairs policy process and who are looking for a cogent presentation of the art of political reporting and analysis will not be disappointed, though.A few minor criticisms/observations for the reader to keep in mind:-- The example base is not broad, but is adequate enough and interesting enough even for those readers (like myself) who are not Sovietologists or Russian specialists.-- The author seems to draw almost exclusively from his own work and experience. A broader sample, for example drawing on the Foreign Relations of the United States (FRUS) historical series, would have been welcomed. The author also seems to have toed the official line on not using any Wikileaks material, which obviously would have been of much more current relevance and interest.-- Some general allusions to internal State Department policy conflicts may sail over the heads of the reader. Readers of the Foreign Service Journal (available online) will know there has been a lot of debate about policy bias.-- This is not a memoir, but does focus almost exclusively on the author's life experience, which has the same pluses and minuses that one may find in (say) a blog. Ego is present in some fashion, even if downplayed.In summary, the incisive conceptual framework and practical observations and advice given in the book are well worth the time invested by the reader, even if they already have experience in the field.

The title of the book made me think that the author will present the methods of political analysis and the methodology of writing reports, but the book touched on these topics superficially and without any depth in the subject.In short this book is a diplomatic diary of a number of important events.This book is not an educational book of methods on diplomatic or political analysis.

The book was and still is valuable to my studies. That's why I rate it five stars, and also for Amazon who delivers the book in the shortest time possible.Glenns

Great advice from a man who knows his craft. A must read for all foreign service officers.

I found this to be a very insightful book that emphasized writing for foreign service officers (FSOs.) However, it also contained a lot of good information for aspiring foreign service officers as well. The author, Raymond Smith, covers other aspects of writing including, objectives of such writing, the expected audiences, the role of other governmental organizations in competition with the State Department, and various tools at the disposal of political analysts. He also includes several examples of declassified dispatches that provide both historical and practical examples of State Department cables. He also discusses the role of the professional careerist within the Department of State in regards to personal beliefs and functions as and FSO. Because the book is relatively new, Smith has a few things to say about the Wikileaks leaking of classified materials by Chelsea Manning. All- in- all, a very worthwhile read for anyone interested in the US State Department.