Diplomatic Gifts

Gifts have been partof international relations since ancient times. They can serve as tokens offriendship, apology or authority; as taunts, bribes, boasts or tricks. They canalso go wrong: Mali''s 2013 gift of a camel to French President FrançoisHollande was reported to have ended up in a tagine.

Exploring fiftydiplomatic gifts given through the ages, Brummell explains the great complexityof this political art--an exercise in brand-building for the giver, via an itemthat must suit the recipient''s own interests and character. Byzantine emperorssent fragments of the True Cross to fellow Christian rulers around Europe;Kings Louis XV and XVI of France used Sèvres porcelain, while the Ottomansultans favoured robes of honour. In some cases, recipients have made no secretof the gift they would want. The Amarna Letters, dating to around 1350 BCE,record a communication from Hittite Prince Zita to the Egyptian Pharaoh,offering sixteen men--and hinting rather heavily that he would like some goldin return.

From the TrojanHorse to Cleopatra''s Needle to the Statue of Liberty, this rich history offersa new take on both the curious detail and the grand spectacle of globalpolitics.