From navigating military blockades enforcing a curfew in Peru to riding in an armored limousine in Laos with President Barack Obama, Ambassador Dan Clune’s memoirs trace his 31-year career in the Foreign Service, combining amusing anecdotes with keen analysis of the political and economic background of the countries where he served. The memoirs begin with an inside look at the everyday life of a young diplomat, from the routine of the visa line to the critical assistance given to injured and imprisoned Americans abroad, and concludes with an account of President Obama’s historic visit to Laos, the first ever by an American President. In an era when American diplomats are vilified as “unelected bureaucrats” and members of a “deep state”, Clune draws on experiences in six countries and the State Department to explain how foreign service officers promote U.S. interests around the world.