Here I am, quoted in the Guardian a few days ago, on the interesting subject of the overlap between diplomacy and spying: "There is a degree of overlap. Diplomats, spies and journalists are all basically nosy people. They all want to find out things that are not generally known," said Charles […]
The real truth of the whole Wikileaks saga is that it shows US diplomats en masse doing first-class professional diplomatic work. (Update: Rupert Cornwall agrees). Getting out of the Embassy and meeting people, analysing all sorts of information, reporting it all back to HQ in good businesslike prose, often with sharp insights […]
As England groans under snow and howling icy gales, I am heading for Mauritius. On a training expedition for a UN organisation. ADRg Ambassadors have been asked to give their senior officials some expert training in Diplomatic Skills (Making an Impact) and Negotiation (Reaching the Deal). What are so-called diplomatic […]
Here’s a question. How do you attack a highly protected Iranian computer system not linked to the Internet? Here’s the (obviously well briefed) answer. A virus which does all sorts of ingenious things in sequence, very fast, and without being spotted… In case you’re thinking about having a go yourself, […]
Last week I gave evidence to the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Foreign Affairs led by Baroness Nicholson of Winterbourne. This APPG has been set up this year in part because the House of Lords does not have a Foreign Affairs Committee, yet contains numerous people with considerable expertise in […]
Back from giving further diplomatic mediation skills training in Brussels to EU officials. Unlike the FCO, the EU’s nascent foreign policy machine dimly sees the point of understanding how to get better outcomes by using smart mediation techniques. So, I duly help deliver the superb training they need. In the margins I […]
Remember the excellent book Parting Shots, in which valedictory despatches by all sorts of former British ambassadors are published for your enjoyment and edification? Here the BBC looks at some of them who just got things wrong. Former Foreign Secretary Douglas Hurd reviews it in the Spectator and is unimpressed with the […]
Well turned piece by Simon Heffer in the Telegraph this morning. He’s been talking to one of ‘one of our most intelligent diplomats’ (not me – I am an intelligent ex-diplomat haha) about the Eurozone: On a shimmering day last June, I was talking to one of our most intelligent […]
You heard it at TEDxKrakow first. Now even top EU people are saying it: 16 November 2010 Last updated at 11:38 Eurozone facing ‘survival crisis’ The European Union is in a "survival crisis" over eurozone debt problems, the EU Council president has warned. Speaking hours before eurozone ministers meet to […]
The second gripping instalment of my analysis of the EU Budget is here: In a few months’ time, the familiar weary battle will unfold in Brussels as the next Financial Perspective negotiations get under way. The Commission, cheered on by the profligate European Parliament, will announce an indicative budget increase […]
