Instruct: Classify the given Amazon review as either positive or negative.
Query: Poor diplomacy

While this book does occasionally give an interesting glimpse at a diplomat's life, it is basically journalistic fluff. The profiles are superficial and often fawning, and broader political issues are largely ignored. It reads like a "Visit to Washington" column in a mediocre community newspaper. One gets the impression that the author wrote each section with the goal of being asked back to an embassy cocktail party. It was a disappointment given what I was expecting.