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Author: Leigh Turner

Lessons in Diplomacy: Politics, Power and Parties

Is a diplomat’s life really as glamorous as a royal visit, or as dramatic as a coup d’état in Turkey? In this entertaining and accessible first-hand account, you’ll discover how diplomats really work with spies, how immunity allows killers to escape justice, how Russia broke up the Soviet Union and then nursed its resentment at the consequences -- and how to throw, and be invited to, a great cocktail party.
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Lessons in Diplomacy: Politics, Power and Parties is witty globe-trotting adventure through the career if a diplomat, offering astute reflections on Brexit, Russia’s war with Ukraine and the chaos of modern politics, and shedding new light on the intricacies of modern statecraft, including what we all can learn from a good diplomat or ambassador.

The author, Leigh Turner, is a former British ambassador who recently retired from the Foreign Office. He held diplomatic posts in Vienna, Moscow and Berlin, served as Ambassador to Ukraine, British Consul-General in Istanbul, Ambassador to Austria and UK Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Vienna, and Director of Overseas Territories in the FO. 

Turner, L. (2024). Lessons in diplomacy: Politics, power, and parties. Policy Press.