‘orthodox’ diplomats were in general very sympathetic and helpful, as they saw the value of what we were trying to do. However, the bigger problem was raising money to run the operation, which has always been formidably difficult. We raise money from various democratic governments and philanthropic foundations which support what we do, but it has never been easy. Our work is highly unusual, working in many unfashionable places, from Syria to Somalia. In the old days we used to insist that people had to have formal diplomatic experience. Now we train our own people to do the work. In some ways it’s better to have people who haven’t had their thinking imprinted by the formal diplomatic world. But there are also many within the formal system who are disillusioned with that system and keen to work with an organisation like ours. You seem to be critical of the diplomatic system. What are your reflections on your career in the diplomatic service, and would you recommend it as a career? Yes, I am very critical of the system. I think it embodies an inhuman set of values – so-called ‘state interests’ – about what is important. I have become an anarchist, and on that basis it is hard for me to recommend a career in government. On the other hand, I learned a lot from my time in the diplomatic service and I worked with some great colleagues, some of whom remain friends. How do you attract diplomats to work for you?
Photo credit: REUTERS/Yazen Homsy.
Do you have a philosophy or ethic which has inspired your work at Independent Diplomat? Yes, a very simple one: people should be part of the decisions which affect them. That is a moral necessity, but also deeply pragmatic: how can you expect to have sustainable outcomes if you don’t include the people with most at stake? Have you found any of Independent Diplomat’s successes particularly rewarding? Why? The one that stands out is the Paris Climate Agreement, where we supported a small island state (Republic of the Marshall Islands) and helped them over many years
secretly recruit a coalition of states that wanted a stronger outcome from the UN climate negotiations. That coalition, called the High Ambition Coalition, surfaced at Paris and came to comprise about 100 countries.
It was, to a significant degree, responsible for some of the most important elements of the Paris Agreement, including the global commitment to carbon neutrality by 2050. Some of those elements were crafted by Independent Diplomat. I am also very proud of our work, always difficult, supporting various democracy and liberation movements, including in Syria and the Western Sahara. Here I was with members of the Polisario Front, the representatives of the people of occupied Western Sahara, in the Sahara near the fortified berm with which Morocco defends the occupied territory.
Practising my rifle skills I learned in the school shooting team in Syria (not on the front line with ISIS!). It was the first time I had picked up a rifle since Dulwich!
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