Carnegie Council discussion on ethics
05.26.13 |

I was invited to the Carnegie Council on International Ethics to talk about ethics and leadership.  As you will see, I don't feel very qualified to offer judgements on this, but rather to offer lessons from my past as a diplomat on what NOT to do.

 

 

 


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I was invited to the Carnegie Council on International Ethics to talk about ethics and leadership.  As you will see, I don't feel very qualified to offer judgements on this, but rather to offer lessons from my past as a diplomat on what NOT to do.     Video streaming by Ustream more
"The World: Decrypted" - Non-violent intervention in Syria
03.22.13 |

The conundrum remains. When a vicious government assaults its own population in Syria, what can the rest of the world do? In the US, there is mounting debate about whether to intervene. This week, US Senators Lindsey Graham and John McCain argued forcefully for US military involvement. Last year, it's reported that Hillary Clinton and General David Petraeus, when he was head of the CIA, advocated sending weapons. The White House apparently resisted. The new Obama administration is ramping up... more
Iraq: Ten Years on: pithy version on CNN
03.15.13 |

Just for the record, and perhaps it keeps needing to be said for the record, here is a short interview I did today, March 15th, on the war, the alternatives and the lies.  I am sick to death of saying it, but the liars keep hoping that if they lie often enough they will be believed. more
"The World: Decrypted" - Iraq and the Illusory Clarity of War
03.08.13 |

My latest Slate video, this time looking back at the Iraq war.

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Translation of Catalan Review of "The Leaderless Revolution"
02.27.13 | My dear friend and Catalan speaker Jan Hartman has translated the review of "The Leaderless Revolution" that was published on Catalanweb a few days ago.  I am naturally biassed but I found it an extraordinary discussion of the application of anarchist ideas to Catalonia's independence struggle.  It is also of course striking because Catalonia is one of the only places ever to experience anarchist self-government in practice. Begins   Carne Ross is, without a doubt, a peculiar... more
Iraq: the story of my testimony
02.26.13 | 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 Iraq expert at the UN Security Council from 1998 to 2002, where I had negotiated resolutions on issues like sanctions and weapons... more
"un elogio del anarquismo" - a Catalan review of "The Leaderless Revolution"
02.25.13 | The book (and indeed its author) is much inspired by, and cites, Spanish repubicanism and the "Spanish revolution" when anarchism flowered in worker-run farms and businesses (and was snuffed out by fascism, of course).  Here's the link to the review. more
"The World: Decrypted" - how the UN is not dealing with the annihilation of states
02.22.13 |

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Building Peace: Five conditions for successful mediation
02.18.13 | The Oslo Forum is an unusual gathering of high-level political mediators, organized by the Centre for Humanitarian Dialogue.  They have gathered a book of essays on mediation, by authors including Swedish foreign minister Carl Bildt and Norwegian foreign minister, Espen Barth Eide.  I was very honoured to be invited to contribute.  My essay tries to specify exactly what kind of conditions are necessary for successful mediation, in particular what kinds of access, to both... more
"The World: Decrypted" my video commentary on Slate, Feb 8th, 2013
02.10.13 |

This is the first episode of "The World: Decrypted" a short video commentary on international affairs more