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19th January 2012 Windhoek, Namibia
Clever cheetah conservation in Namibia
I was fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF) Centre this weekend and was delighted to discover a number of British scientists and volunteers based at the field research, conservation and education centre near Otjiwarongo. Namibia is home to the world’s largest number of free-ranging cheetah, boosting some 20% of […]
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19th January 2012 Islamabad, Pakistan
“I think I have the best job in the British High Commission.”
Guest blogger, Susan Hyland, joins Adam Thomson’s blog to share a few impressions from her first weeks as Political Counsellor at the British High Commission in Pakistan. Six weeks ago, one of my colleagues met me at the airport when I arrived in Islamabad for the first time. As I write this, I am again […]
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18th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Meanwhile in Antarctica
One hundred years ago, the great British explorer Captain Scott and his companions arrived at the South Pole. To mark this occasion, British Prime Minister David Cameron sent an audio message to the scientists and support staff at British bases in Antarctica and the Southern Ocean. You can read more about the Prime Minister’s message […]
18th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Freedom of Religion or Belief
Understanding religion is fundamental to our comprehension of the world in which we live. It is especially necessary for diplomats as they seek to apply their nation’s foreign policy around the world. Globally – though Western Europe is perhaps an exception – the trend, to put it crudely, is towards “more” religion rather than less. […]
17th January 2012 Nairobi, Kenya
London Conference on Somalia: Building Momentum
So far, we’ve had an overwhelmingly positive reaction to the British Prime Minister’s announcement to host a Conference on Somalia in London next month. After 20 years of sliding backwards, it’s clear – and welcomed by many – that Somalia needs a step-change in effort, both from the international community, but also Somalia’s political leaders. […]
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13th January 2012 Washington DC, USA
The Internet, Diplomacy, and My Mother
Long before I knew I was coming to DC, I saw Alec Ross, Senior Advisor on Innovation to Secretary Clinton, give a talk at the London School of Economics on foreign policy in the era of social media. He argued to an enthusiastic London audience that high speed Internet is the infrastructure of the 21st […]
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12th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
How to learn English
British diplomats spend a lot of time learning foreign languages. Before each of my last four postings (in Vienna, Moscow, Berlin and Kyiv) I had the privilege of spending between four weeks and nine months on intensive language preparations. If you want to understand a country and its people, speaking the language helps. Conversely, the […]
11th January 2012 Washington DC, USA
A GREAT reminder of home
I’m just on the train back from a trip to New York City—my first excursion out of DC since arriving in the US at the end of November. Of course, I’ve been to NYC many times before (indeed Layla and I went there on our honeymoon) but it’s a very different experience to go to […]
11th January 2012
This post was published when the author was in a previous role
Looking ahead to 2012
The address of Pope Benedict XVI to the diplomatic corps accredited to the Holy See, at the start of each year, is always an opportunity to look ahead at the foreign policy challenges of coming months. 2012 was no exception, and I was struck by just how much of his Holiness’s wide ranging speech dovetailed […]
11th January 2012 Ottawa, Canada
The War of 1812
As we approach the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, Canadians have begun to reflect on its role in shaping what Canada is today. But this is also a chance for Britain to consider its own contribution to the conflict, and how its relationship with Canada has evolved over the past two centuries. The […]