10th November 2012
Beirut, Lebanon
Following Remembrance services in Saida and Tripoli on Thursday, we have just left the third, in the beautifully kept Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery in Beirut. The torrential rain cleared, and we honoured those who fell, driving Vichy from Lebanon in 1941. We share these poignant moments with former allies and former foes. The allied contingent […]
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9th November 2012
Beirut, Lebanon
This weekend, Beirut will come together for the marathon. There is no more striking example of unity, common purpose and the best of the Lebanese spirit. The road is a great leveller – it does not ask your confessional group or political allegiance. A small group of Ambassadors always join in, slowly. This year, they […]
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7th September 2012
Beirut, Lebanon
Lebanon tends to be high on our August watchlist. This year there was no major single crisis, but five developments raised anxiety. Israel accused Hizballah of involvement in the Bourgas terrorist attack. A pro-Assad former Minister was arrested. Kidnappings returned in a dangerous 48 hours. Some Gulf countries told their nationals to leave. The Tripoli […]
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24th February 2012
Nairobi, Kenya
In my opinion the London Conference on Somalia yesterday was a great success. In case you missed any of it then you can find full reports and links here. It was the biggest conference on Somalia, involving the greatest number of senior leaders, from as wide a range of countries and international organisations, as seen […]
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20th February 2012
Warsaw, Poland
Since the global economic crisis started in September 2008, the story for Europe has been one of a stalling engine which has consistently failed to restart. Mired in mediocrity and wading through a bog of single market regulation, more than half of Europe’s member states are today less competitive than they were a year ago. […]
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30th January 2012
Beirut, Lebanon
There is a joke that does the rounds in Beirut. Q: ‘What’s the definition of Lebanese long term thinking?’ A: ‘See you tomorrow’. Like many Lebanese jokes, there is truth in this. Of course, a focus on the short term is understandable, given the conflicts of the past, the volatility of the region, the interference […]
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20th January 2012
Nairobi, Kenya
Thank you for the fantastic response to my previous blog. It’s great to see so many comments. For my next few blogs I intend to focus on the key themes of the London Conference, and would like to ask that comments try to focus on each of those issues. So, in this blog I want […]
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21st December 2011
Nairobi, Kenya
With 2011 drawing to a close, let’s take a moment to reflect on the past year, and look ahead to the next. 2011 has been a particularly tragic year for Somalia and, most importantly Somalis. Despite a great deal of effort and goodwill by many people both outside and inside of Somalia, the country remains […]
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