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Friendship is the Gift: Guyana, Kuwait & America – An Uplifting International Relations Memoir: Amazon, Paperback and EBOOK by Author Dr. Maryann Beebe-Ally
Ready for a Travel Adventure? It is a true story, set halfway around the world, and transformational for me.
Step into the vibrant world of international diplomacy with Dr. Maryann Beebe-Ally, an American businesswoman turned Ambassador’s wife.
Dr. Maryann’s husband was awarded the diplomatic promotion of a lifetime from his birth country. For her, it opened the door to an exciting journey across the Arabian Peninsula. He is now the new Ambassador of Guyana to Kuwait. Dr. Maryann navigates a world of diplomats, royalty, and business leaders. But amid the smiles and congratulations, her friends are concerned about her safety and the challenges of being a woman in a traditionally conservative region.
Discover the kindred spirit between the USA and Kuwait, a peaceful nation that holds Americans in high esteem.
Journey Highlights:
- Discovering unexpected friendships and profound insights that come from living abroad.
- Experiencing the transformation and growth that come with embracing a new culture.
- Contributing to international diplomacy and debunking common myths.
Who Would Enjoy Reading This?
- Armchair travelers who appreciate a heartwarming tale filled with humor and twists
- Curious readers who want a fun, easy, and fast journey explaining ways in the Arabian Peninsula
- Adventurers seeking real-life experiences in the Middle East and hope for the future.
- Aspiring diplomats and their families who are eager to understand a foreign mission.
- Visual people who like travel photos to bring the journey to life.
Paperback Edition: Features color photographs!
EBOOK: Enjoy in color or black-and-white, depending on your device.
Photo: Amazon BEST SELLER’s Rank” # 1; # 1; and # 1
Foreword By Raphael G.C.Trotman, Esq. LLB. LEC, MA.
This book, ‘Friendship is the Gift’, by Professor Dr. Maryann Beebe-Ally, is intended to chronicle her life’s experiences as the spouse of a diplomat, her husband, His Excellency, Professor Dr. Shamir Ally, who was Guyana’s distinguished Ambassador to Kuwait from 2016-2020.
Without a doubt, Ambassador Ally’s sojourn was extremely successful, in that not only was Guyana’s profile brightly illuminated in the Middle East, and way beyond, but even today, the relationships that were forged with officials, fellow Diplomats and their families, continues to bear sweet and bountiful fruit. Without a doubt, Dr. Maryann Beebe Ally’s support of her husband, the Ambassador’s efforts, were a large reason for this continuing success.
This book provides a candid look at the other part of Diplomatic life – one that we are rarely ever privileged to witness – that is, the life of the spouses and family members who make up the diplomat’s household. They, as we all realize, are as important to the mission as the appointed Ambassador or Chief of Mission. They are the gilded edge of a successful tour of duty, and quite frankly, are more deserving of study and recognition. It is the family members who often have an objective view of people and places, and who make observations and connections that are very valuable in overall assessment and outcomes. Their presence is invaluable, and especially when, as we do now, there is a careful and diagnostic chronicling of events.
Unquestionably, one could see Dr. Maryann Beebe-Ally’s unmistakable style imprinted on the confident demeanor, affable personality, and effective project execution of her diplomat husband. His success was very much Her’s as well. Moreover, Dr. Beebe-Ally, provides an intimate account of the before, during and after of their sojourn in Kuwait City. Most amazingly, is the stunning detail with which activities are documented and reproduced. All this is done in a simple, precise, and descriptive style that allows the mind to capture the scenes and emotions described. We are grateful for the photographs, but they only embellish an already wonderful manuscript.
Through the book’s 221 pages, we are taken on a journey that begin in the United States of America, when notification is received of the auspicious appointment of Professor Shamir Ally as Ambassador, to the end, when arrangements are made to return home, with their beloved cats, who are an integral part of the family. Dr. Beebe-Ally’s words capture the sentiment when she writes: “As I contemplated the tenure of my husband and me in Kuwait, I wanted a tangible compilation of our journey and blessings. That is the purpose of sharing our story in this biography”. One can almost detect a hint of sadness as the final curtain comes down on a tremendous performance but overriding that is a greater sense of pride of country, and of duty and responsibility that says “we came, and we got the job done”.
Diplomacy can take many forms, and often, it is said to be the preserve of trained Diplomats who have honed their skills after many years of states craft practiced and acquired through tedious training, and years of experience in the field. Professor Dr. Shamir Ally defied that norm, by proving to be an extremely effective diplomat; without having formal training as one. Much has been written about different forms and styles of diplomacy- public, summit, defense, celebrity, and cultural, to name a few. Without a doubt, there has to be a special place reserved for the work that the spouses and partners of diplomats do, mostly in the background, and entirely as volunteers, to ensure the success of their better halves. Going further, one can even advance an argument that more time and study needs to be dedicated to this niche branch of diplomacy. Why? So that it can be better utilized by states, as an effective tool of statecraft, and the advancement of their respective foreign policies.
Beyond the glitz and glamor of the diplomat’s life, the one that we conjure up in our minds, where all diplomats do is read newspapers, frequent hotel lobbies, attend meetings, and exchange pleasantries at social events, there is the personality of the diplomat that marks the point of the difference between the mundane and the extraordinary. What is it, one may ask, that separates and distinguished a Diplomat from Guyana, as against one of the more “so-called” powerful states? This is the question that has been often asked of Ambassador Prof. Shamir Ally, and Dr. Maryann Beebe-Ally, a DYNAMIC DUO that was able to win the favor, admiration, and quiet envy of many others.
Dr. Maryann Beene-Ally brought a quiet charm, exuberant intellect, and unmatched sophistication to the post, elevating it, as it were, to a new level, and giving substantive meaning to diplomatic life . Whether it was her skill and dexterity in mounting exhibitions that showcased the products and talents of Guyana, or gaining fame in the annals of the Guinness Book of World Records for achieving the feat of the world’s most “stickered” automobile, or even, in her work in promoting cleanliness in Kuwait City, Dr. Maryann Beebe-Ally, was always busy, appearing physically at her husband’s side, and yet, simultaneously, being in the background, supporting, initiating, championing, and protecting.
One could want for no better expression of diplomacy that that displayed by Professor Dr. Shamir Ally and Dr. Maryann Beebe-Ally during their remarkable mission to Kuwait, and by extension, the entire Middle East. Their success was joint, and it was also Guyana’s success.
The American novelist Robin Hobb writes eloquently that diplomacy is “the velvet glove that cloaks the fist of power.” By every definition, Dr. Maryann-Beebe Ally was the very embodiment of that velvet glove, as her husband, the Diplomat, strode confidently and powerfully through corridors of power, opening doors, sealing agreements, and making a mark for his country.” Through her eyes, we see the beauty and mystery of Kuwait, and Middle Eastern culture. This book must be required reading for every diplomat intending to serve successfully in the Middle East.
We must all thank Dr. Maryann-Beebe-Ally for being a foremost Stateswoman for Guyana.
Hon. Raphael Gregory Conwright Trotman, Esq. MP, LLB, LEC, MA.
Guyanese Lawyer, Politician, Member of Parliament 1998-2022; 10th. Speaker of Parliament of the National Assembly 2012-2015; and later served, both as Minister of Governance, and Minister of Natural Resources 2015-2020.
Hon. Raphael G.C. Trotman Esq. was educated at the University of the West Indies, Barbados; the Hugh Wooding Law School in Trinidad & Tobago; and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Massachusetts ,USA. He holds several post-graduate certificates from Harvard and Oxford Universities, and the William Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in Washington, DC, USA.
1 of 3 FOUNDERS for the Alliance for Change, AFC, on 29th. October 2005, NEXT YEAR will be its 20th. Anniversary.
CURRENTLY:
- Principal Attorney – Chapman & Trotman, Attorneys-at-Law
PUBLICATIONS
- Trotman, Raphael. “Life & Death”. Fletcher Perspectives: Spring, 2002
- International Dispute Resolution: The Guyana/Suriname Boundary Dispute Revisited (Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy – 2002)
- The “Wars of the West Indies” and the Threat of State Disintegration in Guyana, Trinidad & Tobago, and Jamaica (Master’s Thesis, Fletcher School of Law & Diplomacy – 2002)
- Change: Selected Writings and Speeches Of My Journey For Change, Edited by Clayton A. Hall (Isaiah Publications 2011, Library of Congress Control No. 201190046, ISBN: 978-976-8212-72-6)
- Parliament in the Republic of Guyana (Isaiah Publications, Georgetown, 2014 ISBN: 978-976-95660-0-2)
Onward & Upward towards, One People, One Nation, One Destiny.
