Charles Crawford retired from the Foreign and Commonwealth Office at the end of 2007 after nearly three decades in the UK’s Diplomatic Service, most of it spent serving in or dealing with communist and post-communist Europe
After he completed a law degree at Oxford University and was called to the English Bar, he spent two years at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy in Medford, Massachusetts
He joined the FCO in 1979. His first posting in 1981 was to communist post-Tito Yugoslavia. He returned to London in 1984 and after a year on the Aviation Desk was appointed FCO Speechwriter. He was posted to South Africa in 1987 as part of the Embassy team led by Ambassador Robin Renwick working to end apartheid
Returning to London in 1991 he worked in the FCO Department dealing with the Soviet Union as communist rule collapsed. He then spent three years in Moscow as Political Counsellor. He served three times as HM Ambassador: in Sarajevo (1996-1998); in Belgrade (2001-2003) and finally in Poland (2003-2007). In 1998 he was awarded the CMG for his work in post-conflict reconciliation in Bosnia and Herzegovina
Charles Crawford has considerable senior operational experience in the diplomatic and policy aspects of the post-Cold War transition process in Russia/CIS and Poland as well as the complexities of the former Yugoslavia. He speaks to varying degrees Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian, Polish, Russian, French and Afrikaans
He is now pursuing a private consultancy career from his home in Oxfordshire in England, focusing on personal communication technique and negotiation/mediation. He is a frequent contributor to the UK and international media on diplomatic and global policy issues. He is a founder partner of The Ambassador Partnership LLP
Charles Crawford is married with three children
This website makes available to the general public interesting episodes and insights from Charles Crawford’s diplomatic career, and explains in a open-minded, reasonable way how diplomacy works in practice. It also describes his consultancy services
The content has not been authorised or approved by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office or indeed by anyone other than the author
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