The Foreign Service Journal, May 2021

THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | MAY 2021 75 sony’s work in Uganda in the early 1980s, documenting President Milton Obote’s killing of civilians, and later in Mozambique, exposing the truth about the Mozambican National Resistance’s civilian massacres, funded by the South African apartheid regime. His career reminds us that interna- tional affairs and foreign aid are noble antidotes to apathy and even evil. The bureaucracy works, but only because of its dedicated employees. Doing the government’s business may sometimes suffer from inertia and inattention, but that is only because it is a human busi- ness. As his friend from the early 1970s in Guatemala, I do not think Gersony would put too fine a point on what he accomplished. Nonetheless, his efforts are a manifestation of some of the best work people and institutions do in mak- ing and influencing foreign policy. Kaplan’s long and detailed narrative, with lots of exotic people and locales, will draw you in quickly and hold you. n Peter F. Kranstover served for 30 years in Latin America, Africa, Washington, D.C., and Pakistan as a Foreign Service officer with USAID. He lives in Cedarburg, Wisconsin. Want to review a recent book related to diplomacy or development for the FSJ ? Please send a note with your pitch to journal@afsa.org