Diplomacy in Obscurity

A former diplomat pens his memoir, but in the likes of a maverick...
It is all about a lengthy journey. The differences, however, the captain reaches his destination through numerous ports, for the diplomat it is his or her assigned posts. One travels over water, whereas the other travels by almost all modes of transport until he reaches his destination. For the captain, he carries his country in the ship but for the diplomat he himself is the country, irrespective of whether he is an ambassador or a third secretary.
As this reviewer mulled over the title Diplomacy in Obscurity, penned by one of our eminent former diplomats, the mind engaged in a queer game of guesswork. But once I had finished reading, it was laid bare - Hemayet Uddin craftily used the term obscurity as a powerful metaphor to explain his all-inclusive diplomatic career.
Ranging from his successes, grievances, sharp and close observation of professional events, scrupulous reading of local and international political leaders, to personal comments to bold opinions, Diplomacy in Obscurity goes beyond the boundary of a conventional diplomatic memoir.
However, why the author selected the title with small letters is yet another 'obscurity'.
What we usually read in a diplomatic memoir is a diplomat's chronological development, family, travelogues, interactions with culture and people, professional experiences good or bad, successes and failures - but most diplomatic biographies rarely discusses how political governments play a critical role in manoeuvring the course of a country's diplomacy to ensure their sustenance in power. And also how diplomatic ambitions of a country, in this case Bangladesh, transformed with need of the times.
Former Diplomat Hemayet Uddin has complimented his new book with a series of untold insights of Bangladesh diplomacy of the 70s, 80s, and 90s while stepping into the new millennium. For instance, during the Cold War era when Bangladesh was heavily depended on foreign aid and being branded as a country of natural disasters, our diplomats back then were instructed to pursue a fixed set of aid oriented diplomacy.
The point, however, unless politics and diplomacy of the land do not compromise with one another and blend to achieve a greater purpose, it is the nation that suffers. Therefore, it is imperative our diplomats enjoy some degree of professional Carte Blanche in critical decision making.
Subsequent to the fall of former Soviet Union and restoring of parliamentary democracy here in 1991, our diplomatic goals transformed quickly. However, the process took over a decade and the author had been a firsthand witness to that shift as one of our illustrious foreign secretaries.
This reviewer also admires the writer's courage, in terms of giving details of how our two successive military regimes pursued their diplomatic agenda to benefit the country as well as to justify their military regimes internationally.
On that note - politicians often convert diplomats as strategic tools for good and also to deceive the international arena. Also the fact that foreign ministers, in most cases, turn bete noire to foreign secretaries is not a new phenomenon in Bangladesh.
In particular, I enjoyed reading the author's witty, informative and curious anecdotes during his postings in India, USA, China and Cambodia. From all aspects, the book is a pleasant read since the author markedly followed a non-conformist style in detailing out his story.
His professional and personal understanding of diplomatic ties with India has underlying messages for our diplomats today. One simply needs to read between the lines.
Let's not forget - due to bureaucratic red tapes and needless official secrecy - majority of our diplomats 'play it safe', in terms of penning a memoir even long after their retirement. Hemayet Uddin is an exception in this regard.
Another fascinating element of the writer is that he not only chronicled his diplomatic career by highlighting on major events in our bilateral ties with respective countries - he noticeably has linked how regional and global geopolitical order and international politics of that time were directly impacting our policy making mechanism. Apart from a diplomat he is also a history buff narrating his tale.
Bangladesh has come a long way in the past 50 years and as far as our diplomacy is concerned, the new buzzword for our diplomats today is economic or commercial diplomacy.
On one hand, this form of diplomacy is very important to promote trade , business and direct foreign investments and some of our diplomats are doing pretty well for sure , while on the other innovative , strategic and multidirectional approaches in our diplomacy are visibly missing  - strictly a personal remark.
Another point I felt obligated to touch upon, how come it took 28 years for a diplomat to assume his first ambassadorial post?
Not that much has changed since, it is time to quick curtail political preferences and replace it with deserving candidates. In any manner, a diplomat serves the government as well as the country.
Nevertheless, Hemayet Uddin conceivably is a believer in Middle Power Diplomacy but never undermined the significance of Soft Power.   
Consisting of 20 chapters with all additional features, Diplomacy in Obscurity is a revealing read not only as a memoir - but also as a tale encompassing our diplomacy, history and politics.
The simple but subtle cover image of an obscured King standing behind the clearly depicted Knight somehow reflects the gray line between our government and foreign office. The author perhaps chooses to stay in between.
Published by the UPL the book is overpriced at BDT 800 and lacks eventful photos of the author's diplomatic career. Concurrently, the annexure section of the book is also enriched with a few declassified documents. A separate photo section would have added an extra value.
In the end, I can't help making a gastronomic comparison of the book with a freshly baked Pizza as a diplomatic memoir. It is locally baked with local cheese but with Italian dough, and Hemayet Uddin added a large variety of toppings according to his taste.

The writer is assistant editor,
The Daily Observer