Diplomacy in Obscurity: A Memoir

Hemayet Uddin depicts the positives, the thrilling, and as well as exasperations in the conduct of diplomacy. In this transcendental diplomatic memoir, Hemayet Uddin uses an aphorism—diplomacy in obscurity—to explain the life of a diplomat in making and unmaking history. Hemayet Uddin's diplomatic career crisscrosses many of the significant political events spanning between the 1970s and the millennium that witnessed quantum leaps. In those formative years, when the country was struggling with resource constraints, economic backwardness, fragile social infrastructure, and some in the outside world yet to visualize the potential of the newly independent country—efforts by the country's professional diplomats played a big role in securing a seat in the global stage that did not receive due appreciation. While for many practitioners, this was one of the reasons for severe frustrations, Hemayet Uddin never relented in sharing his knowledge and experience and offering his advisory notes from a neutral platform. This book is a dispassionate analysis of the events and policies taken by governments on global and regional issues that had direct or indirect impacts on Bangladesh.