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ISBN 13: 978-0-9649488-4-6
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Inside a U.S. Embassy: Diplomacy at Work

All-New Third Edition

Edited by Shawn Dorman

The essential guide to the Foreign Service, published in 2011 by FS Books, a division of the American Foreign Service Association.

• Essential reading for anyone considering a Foreign Service career.
• A unique introduction to the Foreign Service, used in colleges and universities nationwide. (For a list of the universities that have adopted the book for a course, click here.)
• A valuable guide for tourists and business travelers who may interact with a U.S. mission overseas.
• A primer for military personnel and contractors assigned overseas.

Taking the Foreign Service Exam?
You need this book.

Praise for the Third Edition of Inside A U.S. Embassy ...

"An excellent and thoughtful read shedding light on an exciting career:

Spread throughout the world, what is the role of the United States Embassy? 'Inside a U.S. Embassy: Diplomacy at Work' explores United States Embassies throughout the world, explaining the day to day tasks of an embassy, as well as what one would expect if they chose to pursue a career in foreign service, from how to get started and what must be understood in a sometimes dangerous job. 'Inside a U.S. Embassy' is an excellent and thoughtful read shedding light on an exciting career that has much potential."

-July 2011, Midwest Book Review

Praise for the Second Edition of Inside A U.S. Embassy ...

"You don't have to be Secretary of State to enter the intriguing world of international diplomacy. What every American needs to know about the role of U.S. embassies is in this volume. Told from the unique vantage point of diplomatic practitioners, the stories recounted here shed light upon a profession little known to most Americans but deeply important to the safety, freedom and prosperity of us all. These are the stories of the men and women who serve America's interests – often under difficult and dangerous conditions – from the great cities to the most remote corners of the globe."

-Madeleine Albright, Former Secretary of State

"Anyone who has been connected to American diplomacy knows how often the question is asked, 'But what do you do in an embassy?' Here is the answer: a heck of a lot. Our citizens and our friends around the world will learn from this lively book just how vital the Foreign Service is to our country's well-being and to the betterment of all peoples."

-George P. Shultz, Former Secretary of State

Read more comments, from then-Senator Joseph Biden, Senator Richard Lugar, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman, Ambassador Thomas Pickering and others.

A review from American Citizens Abroad.

An Inside Look at Inside a U.S. Embassy

Inside a U.S. Embassy is widely recognized as the essential guide to the Foreign Service. This all-new third edition takes readers to more than 50 U.S. missions around the world, introducing Foreign Service professionals and providing detailed descriptions of their jobs and firsthand accounts of diplomacy in action.

In addition to profiles of diplomats and specialists around the world—from the ambassador to the consular officer, the public diplomacy officer to the security specialist—is a selection from more than twenty countries of day-in-the-life accounts, each describing an actual day on the job. Personal reports from the field give a sense of the extraordinary challenges—the coups, the natural disasters, the civil wars—and rewards of representing America to the world.

The third edition of Inside a U. S. Embassy includes new sections on the Foreign Service career and life.  Beginning with the embassy country team, see how all the pieces of an embassy fit together, how a career is shaped and how families navigate this unique lifestyle.  Follow our step-by-step guide to the Foreign Service hiring process, and see what it takes to join the Foreign Service.

Read Excerpts

Read excerpts from the 2011 3rd edition of Inside a U.S. Embassy.

• Table of Contents
• Why This Book?
• Profile of an Ambassador in Armenia (Masha Yovanovitch)
• Profile of an Entry-Level Officer in Nepal (Carolyn Dubrovsky)
• Profile of a Public Affairs Officer in Mexico (Christopher Teal)
• Profile of a Political Officer in Russia (Dereck Hogan)
• Profile of an Economic Officer in the United Arab Emirates (Susannah Cooper)
• Day in the Life of an Environment Officer in Honduras (Jason McInerney)
• Day in the Life of a Consular Officer in Vietnam (James Du Vernay)
• U.S. Security for the Beijing Olympics (Sean O’Brien)
• Selecting a Career Track (Kelly Adams-Smith)
• Preparing for an FS Career (Mark Palermo)
• What If I Disagree? Dissent in the Foreign Service (Thomas Boyatt)
• The Country Team and a Local Staff View (Shawn Dorman & Galina Sabeva)
• Chart: Foreign Affairs Agencies Inside Embassies

Read Excerpts from the 2005 edition of Inside a U.S. Embassy:

• Profile of Consul General in Sao Paulo, Brazil (Carmen Martinez)
• Day in the life of USAID Mission Director in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia (Jonathan Addleton)
• Tales from the Field: Fighting the ‘Dirty War,’ Argentina, 1977 (Tex Harris)
• Profile of a Management Officer in Casablanca, Morocco (Tulinabo Mushingi)
• Profile of a Refugee Coordinator in Kampala, Uganda (Randy Berry)
• Day in the Life of a Political Officer at the U.S. Mission to NATO in Brussels, Belgium (Jim DeHart)
• Tales from the Field: The Fall of Suharto, Indonesia, 1998 (Shawn Dorman)

Recommended Reading/Resources

• The Foreign Service Journal, the magazine for foreign affairs professionals, published by the American Foreign Service Association. 
• The Foreign Service Journal archive captures 100 years of diplomacy. Explore at www.afsa.org/fsj-archive
• For more book suggestions, visit our Foreign Service Reading List page.
• Learn about the U.S. Diplomacy Center & Museum at the Department of State.
• Discover Diplomacy, the Diplomacy Center's educational portal.
• Learn how to join the Foreign Service at careers.state.gov.

Foreign Service Blogs

Learn more about life and work in the Foreign Service by visiting any of the dozens of blogs on our FS Blogs page.

Information Packets

• University Information Packet
• Embassy Information Packet

Inside a U.S. Embassy reaches readers around the world.

University of Texas-El Paso honor students visit the State Department in May 2013