Another part of my foraging for witty things to say about Diplomacy has involved exploring this magnificent official FCO tract from 1965: Restricted Guidance to Diplomatic Service and other Officers, and Wives or some "do’s" and "don’ts" of Diplomatic Etiquette and other relevant matters Almost every page is a time-machine […]
This is interesting, exploring the US Law Library of Congress analysis on the goings-on in Honduras: In other words, far from fitting the administration’s description as a “coup d’état,” the report paints Zelaya’s removal as remarkably orderly and legalistic, especially in a region where the rule of law is so tenuous. […]
Have the Obama Administration kissed goodbye to some key Western values at the UN to placate global Islamists? Anne Bajevsky says "Hell, yes". A less angry but still concerned view here at Volokh Conspiracy: The resolution generally seems to be an attempt to urge more protection for free speech throughout the […]
Reader Alban is tenacious. He says that the 1974 SFRY Constitution differed from the 1946 Constitution; the later model did not have Kosovo as part of Serbia. Er, wrong. Article 2: ̐
Here is an interesting analysis with lots of examples from ESI describing how the sulky tricephalic Bosnian donkey will in fact lurch forward if the juicy European carrot (in this case visa-free travel for all Bosnians) is big and juicy and close enough. All sorts of laws and inter-Entity harmonisations have […]
Craig Murray is using an FOI bid to extract from the FCO a minute with then Foreign Secretary Jack Straw’s manuscript note on it, which Craig thinks will prove his case conclusively that Jack Straw is lying on key parts of the Torture story. Craig’s posting describing this bid is […]
Here is a well researched and perceptive bit of work by Anne McElvoy about the life and times of Sir John Sawers as he takes over at MI6. And about some of the unhappiness at his appointment from some top secret people sufficiently peeved to moan to a journalist about it. […]
Various readers are continuing assorted Balkan wars in their comments on this site. It always happens, sooner or later. Keep it cool, folks. Reader Alban (pro-Kosova) makes a strong (and wrong) claim: Kosova never has been part of Serbia. Under Socialist Federative Republic of Yugoslavia (SFRY) it had the status […]
Remember that great film starring Peter Sellers? This is not about that. Rather it is to pick up a comment posted by our old friend Ivor (at least I think it is ‘Ivor’ – s/he again cunningly leaves no email trail) on my observations about Neil Craig’s claim that I […]
Ben Emmott in the Times says that if Ireland (as expected) says Yes to the Lisbon Treaty, the UK Conservatives need to shut up and move on. Not that he is too impressed with the way the issue has been dealt with: The whole charade should anger anyone who cares […]
