Surprise US talks with Iran’s fractured leadership offer uncertain path out of conflict Speaker Mohammad-Bagher Ghalibaf at first dismissed talks took place, insisting Trump’s claim was ‘fake news’ designed to soothe markets

Surprise US talks with Iran’s fractured leadership offer uncertain path out of conflict #GI5051 #GI7037 #GI4059

“The application of tact and intelligence” this is not #GI5051 #GI5052 #GI7037

How ignorance, misunderstanding and obfuscation ended Iran nuclear talks Negotiators had reached agreement on key issues despite Trump team’s idiosyncratic approach. Two days later, war began

How ignorance, misunderstanding and obfuscation ended Iran nuclear talks
#GI5051 #GI5052 #GI7037 #negotiation

Accommodation and procedural issues at the #multilateral negotiations leading to the Treaty of Westphalia
#GI5051 #GI5052 #GI7037

The fruits of small-group decision making led by “a very stable genius” #GI4059 #GI4055 #Gi5051
www.wsj.com/politics/nat...

‘Sixty seconds, that’s all it took’: the clinical Israeli-US operation to kill Ali Khamenei Mission that took just 60 seconds to carry out was decades in making, but experts say it could be major strategic error

The clinical Israeli-US operation to kill Ali Khamenei
#intelligence #GI5051 #GI7037

A war foretold: how the CIA and MI6 got hold of Putin’s Ukraine plans and why nobody believed them Drawing on more than 100 interviews with senior intelligence officials and other insiders in multiple countries, this exclusive account details how the US and Britain uncovered Vladimir Putin’s plans ...

A war foretold: how the CIA and MI6 got hold of Putin’s Ukraine plans and why nobody believed them
#GI4055 #GI5051 #GI7037

Feminising diplomatic work: Driving devaluation? Bahar Rumelili and Rahime Süleymanoğlu-Kürüm discuss the key points from their new RIS article.

Bahar Rumelili and Rahime Süleymanoğlu-Kürüm discuss their new article, 'Feminising diplomatic work: Driving devaluation?' courtesy of @mybisa.bsky.social
#GI5051 #GI5052 #GI7037

‘You don’t want to live inside his head’: diplomats’ dilemma in the age of Trump The president’s onslaught of boasts, broadsides and conspiracy theories leave envoys sifting for the signal within the Trumpian noise

‘You don’t want to live inside his head’: diplomats’ dilemma in the age of Trump #GI5051 #GI7037

I love the footage of the attempt by Turkmenistan President Niyazov to gift his prized horse Maksat to Britain's prime minister John Major, in Adam Curtis’s Russia, 1985-1999: Trauma-Zone (episode 5)
#gifts #GI5051 #GI7100 #GI7037

The impact of freedom of information on #diplomaticreporting and policy making #GI5051 #GI7037

“If you go native, you’re finished, but if you don’t understand the natives, you’re useless.” Good point by Sir Andrew Green, although I’m not sure I agree with much of his telegram (pp. 135–41 of Parris and Bryson, Parting Shots) #GI5051 #GI7037 #diplomaticreporting

Trump’s approach to foreign policy follows the pattern of domestic abuse: Gillian Tett’s cutting and biting analysis of a turbulent week in American “diplomacy”
#GI5051 #GI4055 #GI5076 #GI7037

Trump links Greenland dispute to not getting Nobel Peace Prize, in letter to Norway's PM The US president says he no longer feels obliged to think only of peace, after not being awarded the annual prize.

"I no longer feel an obligation to think purely of Peace": not being awarded the Nobel Peace Prize has really stuck in Trump's loose turkey-neck-like craw
#GI5051 #GI5052 #GI7037 #GI7100

Why a Chinese ‘mega embassy’ is not such a worry for British spies Politicians are raising the alarm, while MI5 quietly welcomes the prospect of Beijing’s new London facility

‘[M]odern technology and the nature of the Chinese threat means that, in the words of one former British intelligence officer, “embassies are less and less relevant”.’
#GI5051 #GI7037 #GI7100 #china #espionage #transnationalrepression

Palestine’s ambassador to UK hails embassy as ‘proof our identity cannot be denied’ Husam Zomlot says inauguration of mission in London marks change of direction for Palestinian state

Palestine’s ambassador to UK hails #embassy as ‘proof our identity cannot be denied’ #GI5051 #GI7037

‘Like Maga disciples’: meet the Trump envoys raising eyebrows in Europe US president has been blatant in his appointment of relatives, close friends and big donors – almost none of whom have diplomatic experience

‘Like Maga disciples’: meet the Trump envoys raising eyebrows in Europe
#GI5051 #GI7037 #ambassador

Will Russia’s diplomatic recognition of the Afghan Taliban government have a domino effect? Russia’s recent formal recognition of the Taliban regime in Afghanistan is a landmark moment and raises questions over who will be next to do so amidst increasing global engagement with the state.

Will Russia’s diplomatic recognition of the Afghan Taliban government have a domino effect?
#GI5051 #GI7037

Peru severs diplomatic relations with Mexico after former prime minister claims asylum Peru's government has severed diplomatic relations with Mexico over the asylum claim of former Peruvian prime minister Betssy Chávez

Peru severs diplomatic relations with Mexico after former prime minister claims asylum #GI5051 #GI7037

The government has set out new guidance for politically appointed ambassadors intended to avoid a repeat of the Mandelson scandal. The updated guidelines state that candidates directly appointed by ministers outside the civil service system should undergo a pre-appointment interview with a senior official and an informal “fireside chat” with the minister in charge.

Yeah, I’m sure that will fix it #GI5051 #GI7037 www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

55 Days at Peking (dir. Nicholas Ray, 1963). The opening scene is great, depicting the legations all crammed into a small compound next to the Forbidden City. The simultaneous playing of various national anthems is like Ives’ 4th symphony #GI5051 #GI7037

BBC Sounds - Parting Shots - Available Episodes Listen to the latest episodes of Parting Shots on BBC Sounds.

Parting Shots, Matthew Parris’s series on the Foreign Office tradition of valedictory telegrams, written by ambassadors at the end of posts or careers, is currently available on BBC Sounds. Required listening for #GI5051 and #GI7037 #diplomaticreporting

Well, that's one way of making sure your #cable gets read #GI5051 #GI7037 #diplomaticreporting #CorridorsOfPower

“Of course there’s an enormous conflict of interest here,” said Matt Duss, the executive vice-president at the Center for International Policy, who described the influence-peddling in the administration as open corruption. But, he added: “Part of what’s bizarre is that the Trump organisation is so deeply leveraged in the Middle East that the corruption could sustain the ceasefire. Because they all stand to make so much money there is an interest and an incentive to kind of stop the war.”

Peace through corruption
www.theguardian.com/news/ng-inte...
The ‘enormous conflict of interest’ at centre of Jared Kushner’s Gaza ceasefire deal #GI4059 #GI5051 #backchannel

Nearly 2,000 Foreign Office jobs ‘at risk’, says PCS union Reduction in higher-level roles linked to government decision to cut foreign aid budget, says union

Nearly 2,000 Foreign Office jobs ‘at risk’, says PCS union
#GI5051 #MFA

A Gaza ceasefire deal could be Trump’s biggest diplomatic achievement – but the devil is in the detail The plan attempts to thread the needle between creating the conditions for a ceasefire and negotiating a lasting end to the war but hard questions remain

A Gaza ceasefire deal could be Trump’s biggest diplomatic achievement – but the devil is in the detail
#GI5051 #GI7037

Mandelson not given in-depth vetting before appointment, says Foreign Office Letter to MPs says former US ambassador went through process only after his new role was announced to public

Mandelson not given in-depth vetting before appointment, says Foreign Office #GI5051

UK fires ambassador to US Peter Mandelson over Epstein links | CNN Peter Mandelson was fired as Britain’s ambassador to the United States on Thursday after his ties to the convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein became another unwelcome problem for the embattled Prime...

Mandelson sacked - again!
#GI5051 #GI7037

Approving China 'mega' embassy would be unlawful, UK government told Opponents are battling China's plan for a mega embassy in London's historic Royal Mint Court.

Approving China 'mega' #embassy would be unlawful, UK government told #GI5051 #GI7037

US considers banning Iranian diplomats from shopping at Costco during UN meeting | CNN The movements of Iranian diplomats are severely limited in New York, but one proposal being floated would bar them from shopping at big, members-only wholesale stores like Costco and Sam’s Club withou...

US considers banning Iranian diplomats from shopping at Costco during UN meeting
#GI5051 #GI5052 #multilateral