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13th April 2012 Islamabad, Pakistan
Continuing the Conversations
I really enjoy sharing my experiences and thoughts in an informal way through this blog. I’ve been able to do blog posts on subjects as diverse as foreign policy issues, the Commonwealth, the trade and education links between the UK and Pakistan and of course cricket. And I have particularly valued the feed back. But […]
12th April 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Mansaf in the Badiya
Some people think that diplomats spend much of their time eating and drinking. If only they knew how much time is spent answering emails and managing budgets. But certainly lunches and dinners are among the essential tools that a diplomat uses to get to know people and to understand the country he or she is […]
12th April 2012 Harare, Zimbabwe
Injecting the civilian element into military training for Helmand
Transition in Helmand is not limited to Afghans taking the lead. Change is a constant factor for international civilians and military too. Over the last month we have all been acutely aware of this transition known as the Relief in Place (RiP), where some of the outgoing and incoming soldiers are in theatre at the […]
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12th April 2012 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
Malaysia, Truly Asia
In my first blog three months ago, I wrote about how thrilling this year would be for our bilateral relationship, culminating in a visit by the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge to celebrate Her Majesty The Queen’s Diamond Jubilee. At that stage, I had no idea that we would soon have an equally exciting visit […]
11th April 2012 London, UK
Turkey and the UK – prosperity, security and stability
Last Wednesday, the Foreign Affairs Select Committee published its report into UK-Turkey relations and Turkey’s regional role. Select Committee reports are very important for the Government and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, as they provide external scrutiny by parliamentarians that allows us to identify whether or not our policy is working and highlight opportunities for […]
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11th April 2012 Windhoek, Namibia
Doing business in Namibia
I launched a new business guide funded by the British High Commission called Doing Business in Namibia yesterday at the latest lunch meeting of the British Business Group (BBG) in Windhoek. The launch was attended by a number of local and visiting special guests as well as BBG members spanning the mining, marine and financial […]
11th April 2012 USA
The more things change
Like a lot of people interested in US politics and economics, I’ve been thinking quite a bit recently about the results of the last US census and the excellent analyses that demographers, political pundits and others have done on them. One thing that really strikes me is the projections of the US’s population out to […]
11th April 2012 Guatemala City, Guatemala
Learning and sharing how to be better
The Embassy team here in Guatemala is passionate about learning and developing,; their desire to innovate and to keep improving, both as individuals and together as a team, is as infectious as it is inspiring. They also have a lot of best practice to share with colleagues. So here are some examples of the team […]
10th April 2012 Lima, Peru
Visit to the BRE Innovation Park (Building Research Establishment Group)
By Juan Luis Reus, Deputy Director UKTI Peru The trip also included a visit to a very important place that is truly representative of the UK’s world leadership in sustainable construction. I am referring to the BRE Innovation Park, situated in the centre of the main BRE Watford site, 20 miles north west of Central […]
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10th April 2012 Budapest, Hungary
The power of verse
We hosted a very moving event last week. George and Mari Gömöri had assembled a collection of poetry about the holocaust, written by Hungarian Jews, non-Jews and Roma who had either experienced it personally or by those touched by it in other ways. They and their collaborators translated the verses into English and published the […]