Isn’t this country tricky, the envoys would sigh—though, of course, my country’s relations with it are rosy. Such bragging has become rarer.

Isn’t this country tricky 是修辞性问句（否定问句）演变来的感叹句，虽然感叹号被逗号代替，因为后面分句解释为什么这个国家很难对付（tricky）。等于This country is so tricky, the envoys would sigh.