Description

The Accidental Ambassador takes the reader on the journey of Tony Leon’s retirement from active political life and into public service as the South African ambassador to Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. From Leon’s ‘job interview’ with Jacob Zuma at Tuynhuis in 2009, to his immersion in governmental bureaucracy and a three-week crash course on ‘how to be an ambassador’, to the strange stance and contradictions of South African foreign policy and life in Argentina, he shares his entertaining experiences of cultural immersion and the foibles of diplomatic life as well as more serious reflections on misgovernance, eccentric economic populism and politics in his home and host countries. The Accidental Ambassador provides humorous and thought-provoking insight into the behind-the-scenes life of an ambassador and his diplomatic mission.

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