DIPLOMACY AT THE CUTTING EDGE
Kishan S Rana
Manas
371 pages; Rs 595
Readers of this newspaper will be familiar with the name of Ambassador Kishan Rana, a frequent contributor to these pages with his articles on foreign affairs and diplomacy. What they may not know is that Mr Rana - following his retirement from the Foreign Service - has been a prolific author (of ten books), teacher and researcher on diplomatic policy and practice around the world. That creates expectations for this book. In his Introduction, Mr Rana visualises this work as more than just his memoirs: He aims to link his experiences with concepts that interest practitioners and students, not to mention the interested layman. That is a challenge-students want detail and theory, professionals require accessible and relevant suggestions, while the rest of us are quite happy with an interesting narrative, preferably including revelations about the peccadillos of the high and mighty. Can he pull off this hat-trick?
Mr Rana starts with Germany-his final post and the one he considers his "crowning glory". It is 1992 and we can sense the energy and heady feeling of those early days of India's economic liberalisation. It was his job as Ambassador not only to translate the complexities of a just-reunited Germany to the home government, but to convince an often sceptical German bureaucracy and corporate community that India - finally - was open for business. In this somewhat densely-packed chapter, two themes stand out. The first is the then-emerging field of economic diplomacy and the second is engagement with the Indian diaspora. These two topics recur throughout the book, particularly in the sections on Algeria, Kenya and San Francisco and, indeed, emerge as areas of Mr Rana's strengths. He is a keen observer with a bent for curiosity and further investigation; moreover, he follows up his insights with new initiatives, a brisk "can-do" approach and some plain speaking, a combination that could (and does) ruffle the feathers of his bosses at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Mr Rana's recollections of his early sojourns in Hong Kong and China convey a sense of discovery and freshness. He has a prodigious memory and feel for detail, bringing the atmosphere of pre-Cultural Revolution China alive for the reader. A later chapter on his stint in the MEA is equally interesting for its accounts of the ministry's "Young Turks" (he was a leading light) and their earnest attempts to improve its functioning, with predictable results. Throughout, Mr Rana keeps the story moving, notwithstanding pit-stops to draw attention to particular aspects of diplomatic practice and innovation. But just when these threaten to overwhelm the lay reader, he leavens the narrative with character vignettes and absorbing anecdotes, often looking back with wry humour at his own naivete at a younger age.
In the most impactful part of his memoirs, Mr Rana speaks of his service on the staff of Indira Gandhi. His portrait of the late prime minister is delicately-drawn, bringing out her occasional icy hauteur, also her quick grasp and sensitivity to feelings. He is brutally honest about an episode that must hurt even now, but his vulnerability adds power to the story. Truly, it is in this chapter that Mr Rana has fully deployed the sage advice given by his wife when he was writing this book: to express his feelings without reserve so as "to humanize the book".
For the student and practising diplomat, the last two chapters are helpful in consolidating and listing Mr Rana's incisive conclusions on India's diplomacy, and the dimensions that could propel it forward. In a future e-book edition, he might consider introducing a system of key words to index the many insights scattered throughout the book. The next edition should rectify the book's numerous typographical errors-the proof-reading is inadequate for an author who is meticulous and expressive in his choice of words.
Finally, the book works. The reader is left with an impression of an upright officer, strongly motivated to serve his country, working against several odds, using his gut, initiative and good sense. But he is no super-hero, has his failings and is backed by people who help him, often from unexpected quarters. This is probably the story of several in our under-staffed Foreign Service, and one can only wonder how much more they could accomplish if they were given their head. Do many of the issues Mr Rana raises survive? It would seem so. But also, this is no complaining sob-story: there is a continuous undercurrent of optimism and of frontiers yet to be crossed. And the tale is told with vigour, detail and humour.
Looking ahead, the digital age and instant networked communication will challenge the limits of diplomacy, perhaps the concept of state sovereignty itself. The game is afoot and the topic looks tempting. Book no. 12, Ambassador?
Kishan S Rana
Manas
371 pages; Rs 595
Readers of this newspaper will be familiar with the name of Ambassador Kishan Rana, a frequent contributor to these pages with his articles on foreign affairs and diplomacy. What they may not know is that Mr Rana - following his retirement from the Foreign Service - has been a prolific author (of ten books), teacher and researcher on diplomatic policy and practice around the world. That creates expectations for this book. In his Introduction, Mr Rana visualises this work as more than just his memoirs: He aims to link his experiences with concepts that interest practitioners and students, not to mention the interested layman. That is a challenge-students want detail and theory, professionals require accessible and relevant suggestions, while the rest of us are quite happy with an interesting narrative, preferably including revelations about the peccadillos of the high and mighty. Can he pull off this hat-trick?
Mr Rana starts with Germany-his final post and the one he considers his "crowning glory". It is 1992 and we can sense the energy and heady feeling of those early days of India's economic liberalisation. It was his job as Ambassador not only to translate the complexities of a just-reunited Germany to the home government, but to convince an often sceptical German bureaucracy and corporate community that India - finally - was open for business. In this somewhat densely-packed chapter, two themes stand out. The first is the then-emerging field of economic diplomacy and the second is engagement with the Indian diaspora. These two topics recur throughout the book, particularly in the sections on Algeria, Kenya and San Francisco and, indeed, emerge as areas of Mr Rana's strengths. He is a keen observer with a bent for curiosity and further investigation; moreover, he follows up his insights with new initiatives, a brisk "can-do" approach and some plain speaking, a combination that could (and does) ruffle the feathers of his bosses at the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
Mr Rana's recollections of his early sojourns in Hong Kong and China convey a sense of discovery and freshness. He has a prodigious memory and feel for detail, bringing the atmosphere of pre-Cultural Revolution China alive for the reader. A later chapter on his stint in the MEA is equally interesting for its accounts of the ministry's "Young Turks" (he was a leading light) and their earnest attempts to improve its functioning, with predictable results. Throughout, Mr Rana keeps the story moving, notwithstanding pit-stops to draw attention to particular aspects of diplomatic practice and innovation. But just when these threaten to overwhelm the lay reader, he leavens the narrative with character vignettes and absorbing anecdotes, often looking back with wry humour at his own naivete at a younger age.
In the most impactful part of his memoirs, Mr Rana speaks of his service on the staff of Indira Gandhi. His portrait of the late prime minister is delicately-drawn, bringing out her occasional icy hauteur, also her quick grasp and sensitivity to feelings. He is brutally honest about an episode that must hurt even now, but his vulnerability adds power to the story. Truly, it is in this chapter that Mr Rana has fully deployed the sage advice given by his wife when he was writing this book: to express his feelings without reserve so as "to humanize the book".
For the student and practising diplomat, the last two chapters are helpful in consolidating and listing Mr Rana's incisive conclusions on India's diplomacy, and the dimensions that could propel it forward. In a future e-book edition, he might consider introducing a system of key words to index the many insights scattered throughout the book. The next edition should rectify the book's numerous typographical errors-the proof-reading is inadequate for an author who is meticulous and expressive in his choice of words.
Finally, the book works. The reader is left with an impression of an upright officer, strongly motivated to serve his country, working against several odds, using his gut, initiative and good sense. But he is no super-hero, has his failings and is backed by people who help him, often from unexpected quarters. This is probably the story of several in our under-staffed Foreign Service, and one can only wonder how much more they could accomplish if they were given their head. Do many of the issues Mr Rana raises survive? It would seem so. But also, this is no complaining sob-story: there is a continuous undercurrent of optimism and of frontiers yet to be crossed. And the tale is told with vigour, detail and humour.
Looking ahead, the digital age and instant networked communication will challenge the limits of diplomacy, perhaps the concept of state sovereignty itself. The game is afoot and the topic looks tempting. Book no. 12, Ambassador?
The reviewer is an independent director on corporate boards and Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Chinese Studies, Delhi