Danger Zones is the autobiography of John Gunther Dean, a leading American diplomat of the twentieth century. His early life and eventful international career provide provocative reflections on significant events and leaders, American and foreign, and insights and advice on the practice of proactive diplomacy. Over the course of his action-packed career, Dean found himself embroiled in controversy in hot spots in Asia and the Middle East. During several stints in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, he worked on development projects and with the U.S. military in Central Vietnam. He brokered the deal that ended the war in Laos and faced down an attempted coup d'état in 1973 against the neutralist regime of Prime Minister Souvanna Phouma. As ambassador in Cambodia, he was the last man out on April 12, 1975, as the last helicopter left Phnom Penh and Khmer Rouge forces approached the city. As ambassador to Lebanon, where he was nearly assassinated in an ambush, he reached out to all factions and promoted the idea of one Lebanon. As ambassador in Thailand, he worked closely with King Bhumibol to provide military training to the Thai army and secure U.S. military bases. As an activist diplomat, he worked hard to bring people together to avoid bloodshed.--Publisher description.