The craft of political analysis for diplomats /

Author Raymond F. Smith combines a practitioner's personal view of what is required to do good diplomatic political analysis with his understanding of the social conflict and change that informed his work for the State Department.

Bibliographic Details
Main Author: Smith, Raymond F., 1941-
Format: Book
Language:English
Published: Washington, D.C. : Potomac Books, [2011]
Edition:1st ed.
Series:ADST-DACOR diplomats and diplomacy series ; v. 48.
Subjects:
Table of Contents:
  • Glossary of common State Department terms
  • What is political analysis and why is it a craft?
  • The objectives of diplomatic political analysis
  • The audience
  • The competition
  • The analyst's personal toolkit
  • The analytic tools
  • Criteria for superior reporting: the State Department view
  • Case study: the collapse of the Soviet Union (1): early embassy Moscow views
  • Case study: the collapse of the Soviet Union (2): coup against Gorbachev
  • The compass and the weather vane
  • Technological change, the risk of irrelevance, and the continuing need.