Synopses & Reviews
Following 9/11, President Bushand#8217;s and#147;War on Terrorand#8221; with plans to invade Iraq erupted into a cultural clash between French reluctance and American assurance over the case for and#147;Weapons of Mass Destruction.and#8221; In Weapons of Mass Diplomacy, diplomat Abel Lanzac reveals the tension and politics through a French insiderand#8217;s point of view, with satirical humor that softens the controversial subject matter. Readers follow Lanzacand#8217;s fictionalized self, Arthur Vlaminck, a speechwriter for the French Foreign Minister. As part of a team of flamboyant ministerial advisors, he has been tasked with drafting Franceand#8217;s response to the growing international crisis in the Middle East, which is then delivered before the United Nations Security Council. A graphic milestone of diplomacy, Weapons of Mass Diplomacyand#151;a bestseller in Europeand#151;proand#173;vides a revelatory account of a period that saw French fries become and#147;freedom friesand#8221; and an alternative perspective on the decisions leading up to the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq.
Review
andldquo;Were I in the front row of the White House press briefing room, I would ask spokesman Jay Carney one question above all others: andlsquo;Have you read Weapons of Mass Diplomacy, and if not, why not?andrsquo;andnbsp;Itandrsquo;s that goodandmdash;insightful, like a tall mirror reflecting truth, hung in the halls of power.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;The machinations at the ministry gave him the material for andlsquo;Quai dandrsquo;Orsay,andrsquo; a bande dessinandeacute;e that he wrote under the pen name Abel Lanzac, with illustrations by Christophe Blain. . . . The book was recently brought out in English by the British publisher SelfMadeHero under the title andlsquo;Weapons of Mass Diplomacy.andrsquo;andrdquo;
About the Author
Abel Lanzac, a pseudonym for Antonin Baudry, is a diplomat and former advisor to French Foreign Minister Dominique de Villepin. Christophe Blain is an award-winning artist and writer. In 2002, he won the Best Graphic Novel award at Angouland#234;me for Isaac the Pirate.