Following 9/11, President Bush's "War on Terror" with plans to invade Iraq erupt
ed into a cultural clash between French reluctance and American assurance over t
he case for "Weapons of Mass Destruction." In "Weapons of Mass Diplomacy," diplo
mat Abel Lanzac reveals the tension and politics through a French insider's poin
t of view, with satirical humor that softens the controversial subject matter. R
eaders follow Lanzac's fictionalized self, Arthur Vlaminck, a speechwriter for t
he French Foreign Minister. As part of a team of flamboyant ministerial advisors
, he has been tasked with drafting France's response to the growing internationa
l crisis in the Middle East, which is then delivered before the United Nations S
ecurity Council. A graphic milestone of diplomacy, "Weapons of Mass Diplomacy"--
a bestseller in Europe--pro-vides a revelatory account of a period that saw Fren
ch fries become "freedom fries" and an alternative perspective on the decisions
leading up to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
