What do diplomats actually do? That is what this text seeks to answer by describing the various stages of a typical diplomat’s career. The book follows a fictional diplomat from his application to join the national diplomatic service through different postings at home and overseas, culminating with his appointment as ambassador and retirement. Each chapter contains case studies, based on the author’s thirty year experience as a diplomat, Ambassador, and High Commissioner. These illustrate such key issues as the role of the diplomat during emergency crises or working as part of a national delegation to a permanent conference as the United Nations. Rigorously academic in its coverage yet extremely lively and engaging, this unique work will serve as a primer to any students and junior diplomats wishing to grasp what the practice of diplomacy is actually like.

"Sir Brian Barder’s book What Diplomats Do offers comprehensive insight into the life and work of diplomats. It deserves to be read by practitioners and aspiring practitioners of diplomacy, by students and teachers of diplomacy, and by anyone interested in what diplomats actually do. It crosses genres as easily as it addresses and holds the attention of a broad audience. The book’s location at the intersection between a textbook on diplomacy, memoirs of a former ambassador, and a fictionalised account of the life of a British diplomat at home and abroad gives it its unique character. This allows the book to fill a gap on the bookshelf between those books with a clear academic approach such as Geoff Berridge’s Diplomatic Theory and Practice, on the one hand, and books that are first and foremost diplomatic memoirs." - Diplo: Towards more inclusive and effective diplomacy

"Brian Barder’s What Diplomats Do is far from the heavy tome on diplomatic practice and procedure that its title might imply. It is very readable . . . [And] . . . original. It is not a manual of diplomacy nor a diplomatic memoir nor a novel of diplomatic life but an ingenious mixture of all three. Barder takes us through the career of Adam and his wife, Eve, and tells us about their life and work in a succession of posts. We thus learn how diplomacy works from the experience of a new entrant Third Secretary in the Foreign Office and then in his first overseas post all the way up to Head of Mission in one of the big Commonwealth countries. Each stage is illustrated by episodes from Barder’s own exceptional career. . . .Those considering a career in diplomacy or more widely in the international field . . . could not have a better introduction than What Diplomats Do." - LabourList

"Sir Brian Barder's engaging book helps to demystify the world of diplomacy, writes Sir Alexander Downer, former Foreign Minister of Australia and now the country’s High Commissioner to the UK. For many, diplomacy remains an enigmatic profession. While the global challenges that diplomats are tasked with monitoring, analysing and responding to are changing every day, perceptions of diplomats and the diplomatic service are often fixed and outdated. Sir Brian Barder’s text attempts to illuminate the roles, responsibilities and realities of the diplomatic service. The text provides an instructive ‘how-to guide’ for those working, or seeking a career, in the Foreign Service. Barder draws on his experience of more than 30 years in diplomacy. From humble beginnings at the Colonial Office in London in 1957, he enjoyed a long career in the UK Foreign Service with various postings and appointments, including Ambassador to Ethiopia and Poland and High Commissioner roles in Nigeria and Australia. With this background, he certainly has the credentials to provide counsel on ‘what diplomats do’." - Password

"What Diplomats Do shows that diplomacy for a modern professional is both “just a job” but also unrecognisable beside many nine-to-fives. Barder compiles moments of fear, international embarrassment, posturing, and deep, sincere viscerality. It evokes pity, curiosity and envy of those who are aspiring diplomats. The book is extremely revealing of Whitehall and FCO culture, and ultimately reflects some of the public mystery of elite international relations and relationships." - Stateless Diplomat

"Sir Brian Barder portrays the working life of British diplomats through the experiences of a fictitious Adam, from the selection process at entry into the Foreign and Commonwealth Office to his retirement. This is divided into chapters matching Adam's jobs. The narrative of Eve, his life partner, is interwoven into it. What might have been a work of realist fiction is leavened with doses of real life; the author's personal experiences presented as examples in each chapter. The style is chatty and personal, with wry humour and an absence of posturing. We obtain intimate insight into the functioning of the British diplomatic service in its professional, societal and human dimensions. This novel approach produces both an engaging narrative for the general reader, and a textbook. . . . For students of international relations, the book offers great value, breathing life into what they would have learnt in abstract fashion." - Business Standard

"Sir Brian Bader has given us a readable and honest account of what British diplomats do. . . .His comments are marked by common sense and well-targeted insights which though reflecting life in the British foreign service have broad relevance for New Zealand. . . .Bader's book is written with skill and insight. It is pitched to a British audience, but New Zealand diplomats and the general reader will gain much from his wisdom and experience." - New Zealand International Review

"What Diplomats Do describes the various stages of a diplomat's career using a fictional figure and following him from his application to join the international diplomatic service through different domestic and foreign posts. This approach offers a chapter-by-chapter study based on the author's thirty-year experience as a diplomat, Ambassador, and High Commissioner and is packed with lively case history descriptions that hones in on exactly what a diplomat's skills and processes are. The result is a powerful survey that clearly outlines the routines and job of a diplomat at home and abroad." - Midwest Book Review