Diplomacy, War and Anarchy: "Hidden Forces" podcast
05.16.17 | Demetri Kofinas interviewed me for his "Hidden Forces" podcast.  You can hear our discussion here.  Demetri has added a useful reading list too, covering some of the subjects we discussed.  Thank you for a great discussion Demetri!  (Note, the web-page uses a very old photo of me.  I am unfortunately rather older than this pic suggests.) more
Accidental Anarchist: TEDx talk
05.01.17 |

I gave this talk in Oxford in April.  The talk explains my strange unexpected journey to anarchism and the relevance of anarchism today.

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National Public Radio interview on "Accidental Anarchist", March 29 2017
03.29.17 | 1A, a show on WAMU on National Public Radio, interviewed me about the film.  It was a full discussion of the ideas - anarchism, Rojava, the flaws in contemporary democracy.  You can hear it here. more
Nine Principles for Action (from The Leaderless Revolution)
02.03.17 | I thought I would post the chapter from The Leaderless Revolution called "Niine Principles for Action".  I welcome comments on anything here on my FB page: https://www.facebook.com/carnewross/.   Here is a short list of principles that may guide action, along with a few practical examples.  The principles are by no means exclusive, nor comprehensive: mere pointers, not instructions.    Excavate  your convictions   This is perhaps the hardest step, and I have... more
Interview in E-International Relations
12.05.16 | Interview published in E-International Relations, Nov 24, 2016 Carne Ross is founder and director of Independent Diplomat, a diplomatic advisory organisation. They work to advise un- or under-represented countries, governments and political groups on participation in the international system. Before founding Independent Diplomat he worked as a British diplomat and resigned in 2004 after giving secret evidence on UK participation in the Iraq war to a British inquiry. He is the author of two... more
Interview with Cornell International Affairs Observer
11.21.16 | I always really enjoy talking with students.  A few weeks ago, I gave a talk at Cornell and was interviewed by Marc Masson, a French post-grad there.  This was the result.  The interview covers the UN (and the new SG), some of the problems with diplomacy and some advice for those interested in careers in international relations. more
Can the Left reclaim Nationalism? Discussion in The Nation
08.02.16 | The Nation asked me to comment on Larry Summers's notion of "responsible nationalism" as a response to the more toxic kind of Trump and the Brexiters.  You can view the article on The Nation site here.   Can the Left Reclaim Nationalism? By Carne Ross, Sherle R. Schwenninger, Atossa Araxia Abrahamian and Mark Blyth Writing in The Washington Post last month, former Treasury secretary Larry Summers suggested that the proper response to recent manifestations of popular... more
Chilcot Report: How Tony Blair Sold the War: My OpEd in NY Times
07.18.16 |

I returned to the UK for the publication of the Chilcot Report.  I did a number of interviews, which are posted in the News/Media section of this site.  I was asked by the New York Times to write about the report.  You can see it online here.  And here's the text: nytimes.com Chilcot Report: How Tony Blair Sold the War Carne Ross Bill Bragg London — WEDNESDAY saw the publication, years overdue, of the official report into Britain’s conduct of the 2003 Iraq war. The... more
Iraq: the story of my evidence
06.13.16 | With the publication of the Iraq Inquiry "Chilcot" Report imminent, I am re-posting a blog I wrote at the ten-year anniversary of the war: With the ten year anniversary of the war, I wanted to tell the story of the evidence I gave to the first official inquiry into the war, an event that led to my resignation from the British foreign servce. The Butler Inquiry, as it was known, in 2004 invited testimonies from officials who had worked on Iraq before the 2003 invasion.  I had been the UK's... more
Is the UN heading the way of the League of Nations? My oped in The Guardian
03.11.16 |

 The League of Nations' first meeting, 1920

Oped in today's Guardian about the UN and what to do about it.

 

Oped in today's Guardian about the UN and what to do about it. Full text: As good a place as any to witness the slow decline of the post-second world war global “order” is the UN security council – if they would let you in, which they won’t. Don’t bother with that rarefied organ’s “public” meetings. None of its real diplomatic business is conducted in the open. In a reflection of the state of the world, the security council, which is charged with the maintenance of international peace, is... more