Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov Explains How U.S. Diplomacy Work

Lavrov: how US diplomacy works. pic.twitter.com/g83VFZjzIg

— tim anderson (@timand2037) March 5, 2023

WNU Editor: I saw first hand how US diplomacy worked at an ICAO General Assembly in the early 1990s.

I was working for ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) in Montreal at the time, and the main point of this particular General Assembly was to standardize all equipment used by airports around the world. 

Tens of billions of dollars were involved, and I saw first hand the US delegation pulling all the stops and whistles to make sure US companies were going to be selected to provide these standardized systems.The Japanese and a collection of European countries were offering what IMHO was an excellent alternative to what the US was offering, but I could tell at the time the US were more active behind the scenes (i.e. more banquets, parties, open bars, etc.)

Yup. The arm twisting, threats, bribes, etc., that happened during this particular Assembly was quite an education for me.

Needless to say when the votes finally came in, the US delegation got everything that they wanted.

Do Diplomats Have A "Get Out Of Jail Free Card"?

New York Post: How diplomats commit crazy crimes living abroad — and get away with it 

You’re looking for a parking spot in Queens and notice a pedestrian guarding an available space, waiting for a car that has not yet arrived. What do you do? 

If you’re like most people, you keep driving. But, in 1987, Afghan envoy Shah Mohammad Dost pulled over and demanded the pedestrian surrender the parking spot immediately, insisting that being a diplomat gave him the right to take it. 

And when she refused, he drove into her and took the spot anyway.

Margaret Curry, 42, was sent to the hospital in Flushing, Queens, after being hit by Dost’s ’78 Lincoln. Curry later recovered from her injuries, and Dost wasn’t even questioned about the assault — thanks to his diplomatic immunity.  

Read more ....  

WNU Editor: When I worked for the UN at ICAO I lost count on how many times I saw diplomats abuse their position. The one that caught my eye was an African ambassador using his office as a clearing house for duty free alcohol, cigarettes, and foreign luxury cars. He was eventually expelled from Canada when he refused to pay millions in taxes.

Is The Next Generation Of Chinese Diplomats 'Tough-Talking'?

Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lijian Zhao suggested the US had brought coronavirus to China

BBC: Coronavirus: China’s new army of tough-talking diplomats

Once upon a time Chinese statecraft was discreet and enigmatic.

Henry Kissinger, the former US secretary of state, wrote in his seminal study Diplomacy that "Beijing's diplomacy was so subtle and indirect that it largely went over our heads in Washington".

Governments in the West employed sinologists to interpret the opaque signals emanating from China's politburo.

Under its former leader, Deng Xiaoping, the country's declared strategy was to "hide its ability and bide its time". Well, not any more.

China has dispatched an increasingly vocal cadre of diplomats out into the world of social media to take on all comers with, at times, an eye-blinking frankness. Their aim is to defend China's handling of the coronavirus pandemic and challenge those who question Beijing's version of events.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: BBC's Diplomatic correspondent James Landale calls China's diplomats "tough talking". Oh please. I have known Chinese diplomats for almost 35 years. They have always been blunt and tough. The only difference from then to now is that the media is finally reporting on it. But it is also true that some of these Chinese diplomats are now saying some incredibly stupid things that would never have made the light of day over 30 years ago when I was there. Case in point. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Lijian Zhao accusing the US of bringing the coronavirus to China without any proof. This is not being "tough-talking". This is being irresponsible and buffoonish. .

This Is How Iran And The US Talked To Each Other This Past Week

Navy Times: Explainer: How countries in conflict, like Iran and the US, talk to each other

Even countries that have broken ties with each other need to communicate in times of crisis and war.

That includes the U.S. and Iran, which have not had an official way to talk directly to each other since President Jimmy Carter cut off diplomatic and consular relations in April 1980, as part of the Tehran embassy hostage crisis.

The link has never been restored.

But international diplomacy has found an ingenious solution to the problem of communication between countries that have broken ties.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Here is an excellent article on the role that the Swiss have played in the past week between Iran and the U.S. .... “I'd Like To See Them Call Me": How Trump Used An Encrypted Swiss Fax Machine To Defuse The Iran Crisis (Zero Hedge).

Foreign Diplomats Betting On Trump Win In 2020

Carlos Barria / Reuters

Politico: ‘People don’t want to be stupid twice’: Foreign diplomats brace for Trump 2020 win

The expectation that Trump will win could affect how allies and adversaries approach negotiations with the U.S.

Foreign diplomats are still feeling burned after assuming Donald Trump would lose in 2016 — and they don’t want to be fooled again.

So many of them are quietly preparing for and predicting a Trump victory in 2020. Some are even trying to game out who will be on the president’s team in a second term. The belief that Trump will win reelection — gleaned from conversations with around 20 foreign diplomats, international officials and analysts who deal with them — appears widespread.

Read more ....

Update: 'People Don't Want To Be Stupid Twice': Foreign Diplomats Betting On Trump Win In 2020 (Zero Hedge)

WNU Editor: Among all of my foreign diplomat contacts, with the exception of the Russian diplomats, everyone is hoping that President Trump will be defeated in 2020. But when I asked on who do they expect to win. Everyone of these same contacts expect President Trump to win in 2020. The reasons given .... he’s the incumbent, the U.S. economy is strong, and the Democrats have not selected a candidate to challenge him.

Are Diplomats Becoming More Careful On What They Are Saying

The British embassy in Washington, D.C.Jim Bourg / Reuters

The Atlantic: Leaks Are Changing How Diplomats Talk

In the era of WikiLeaks, hostile-state cyberwarfare, and leaks such as the Darroch incident, the diplomatic cable’s primacy is being threatened, changing the way foreign policy is being conducted.

“Every one is agreed that he is a man of his word,” the British diplomatic telegram reads, referring to the American president, “and the only man who counts in the Administration,” before going on to outline how the White House has “by its own mistakes, got itself into a difficult position” and that if London could “do any thing to help the President, he will be most appreciative.”

Read more ....

WNU editor: Diplomats by nature are always socializing and talking. They are also communicating back to their foreign ministry on what they have seen, heard, and learn. Are leaks changing how they talk? My answer would be yes. Technology has changed everything, and news and information can be transmitted globally in an instant. Privacy is also a thing of the past, and as for keeping secrets, I would say that it is now almost impossible to keep any diplomatic discussion confidential.

Washington's Diplomatic Corps Disdains President Trump

New York Times: ‘It Could Have Been Any of Us’: Disdain for Trump Runs Among Ambassadors

WASHINGTON — Ask members of the Washington diplomatic corps about the cables that Sir Kim Darroch, the British ambassador who resigned Wednesday, wrote to London describing the dysfunction and chaos of the Trump administration, and their response is uniform: We wrote the same stuff.

“Yes, yes, everyone does,” Gérard Araud, who retired this spring as the French ambassador, said on Wednesday morning of his own missives from Washington. “But fortunately I knew that nothing would remain secret, so I sent them in a most confidential manner.”

So did Mr. Darroch, who, alone and with Mr. Araud, tried to navigate the minefield of serving as the chief representative of longtime American allies to a president who does not think much of the value of alliances.


Read more ....

WNU Editor: As Roger Kimball writes in the following post, the expectation in Washington's diplomatic corp during the 2016 Presidential election was the same as the American media's expectation, candidate Trump was going to be re-soundly defeated by Hillary Clinton .... ‘We will no longer deal with him’ was the end of Sir Kim Darroch (Spectator). Many staked their reputations on it, and I could only imagine the embarrassment and the explanations that they had to do when President Trump won. Flash forward to today, the focus from the media is on Sir Kim Darroch's remarks that President Trump's administration is dysfunctional. But considering how wrong they have been in the past three years, maybe the real focus should be on how dysfunctional Washington's diplomatic corp has become.

This Is How Bad U.K. ambassador Kim Darroch's Leaked Email Chain Really Is

Emin Pasha, The Independent: I'm a United Nations diplomat. This is how bad the Kim Darroch leaked email chain really is

This will not be a civil servant seeking to illuminate a very difficult situation or to 'blow a whistle' — the dysfunction of Trump’s White House is clear. Someone is seeking to score political points.

Few things are more carefully choreographed than diplomatic meetings. Whether it’s a special kind of handshake or a deliberately frosty reception to condemn some sort of international meddling or perceived slight, the moves representatives make in front of the world press are intended to have consequences. A state visit, for example — like the one that US President Donald Trump recently embarked upon with the UK — will likely take months of preparations to get right. Being in the room for these preparations is exhilarating: the arguments, the counterarguments, the considerations about how often a smile should be deployed, whether or not a joke will land — everything is up for debate.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: I agree with the above UN diplomat that these leaks are as bad as it can get, and they were clearly done to discredit UK ambassador Sir Kim Darroch. As to why? It is quite obvious that there were some (or someone) in the foreign office who felt that UK ambassador Sir Kim Darroch was partisan in his analysis of the Trump administration, and not giving the Foreign Office the intel and information that they needed to formulate strategies on how to conduct business with the White House. Hence the knives were out to get this 30 year career diplomat by one or more senior officials. As to what is my take on his memos .... Britain's Ambassador To The U.S. Says President Trump Is Inept And Dysfunctional (July 6, 2019). If what the Daily Mail published is true, I find his views are deeply biased and his analysis not helpful to his superiors. I expect this from a politically appointed Ambassador, not from a career diplomat. I also sense that there is more to this story than what has been told.

What Is Life Like For A Diplomat In North Korea?

Photo: 164 countries maintain diplomatic relations with North Korea and 25 of them have embassies in Pyongyang. (ABC News: Jarrod Fankhauser)

ABC News Online: North Korea: Diplomatic life inside Pyongyang can be 'superficial, difficult, and controlled'

North Korea is the last place many would consider as an international diplomatic hub, but the world's most isolated country has a surprising number of foreign embassies.

Despite a record of human rights abuse and nuclear testing, the 'hermit-kingdom' still maintains diplomatic relations with 164 countries — 25 of them with embassies in the capital of Pyongyang, including the United Kingdom and Sweden.

John Blaxland, head of the Strategic and Defence Studies Centre at the Australian National University, said diplomatic work in North Korea was unlike working in any other country.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Over the years I have heard through the pipeline that besides being deployed as a diplomat in war zones, being deployed to North Korea is a place that no career diplomat wants to find themselves in. But someone has to do it.

China Has A Plan To Use Artificial Intelligence In Diplomacy

China's President Xi Jinping (C) talks with China's Foreign Minister Wang Yi (L) and China's State Councillor Yang Jiechi before a meeting with Bangladesh's President Abdul Hamid (not in picture), at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, November 8, 2014. REUTERS/Parker Song/Pool

Stephen Chen, SCMP: Artificial intelligence, immune to fear or favour, is helping to make China’s foreign policy

The programme draws on a huge amount of data, with information ranging from cocktail-party gossip to images taken by spy satellites, to contribute to strategies in Chinese diplomacy.

Attention, foreign-policy makers. You will soon be working with, or competing against, a new type of robot with the potential to change the game of international politics forever.

Diplomacy is similar to a strategic board game. A country makes a move, the other(s) respond. All want to win.

Artificial intelligence is good at board games. To get the game started, the system analyses previous play, learns lessons from defeats or even repeatedly plays against itself to devise a strategy that can be never thought of before by humans.

It has defeated world champions in chess and Go. More recently, it has won at no-limit Texas Hold’em poker, an “imperfect information game” in which a player does not have access to all information at all times, a situation familiar in the world of diplomatic affairs.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: Diplomacy is primarily a human to human interaction. But can a computer program with access to massive data bases give an advantage to one side when it comes to making diplomatic decisions? I can only speak from my own personal experience when I was a diplomat in China.... and my answer is no. Diplomats are given guidelines and objectives to follow, and we try our best to fulfil them. How we accomplish this is by working with our counterparts to find common ground on issues that are important to us. I did not need a computer/AI system to do my work.  I always had a very good idea on what would succeed, and what would not, before walking into a room to negotiate a business/trade agreement. And the reason why I had a good idea on what would succeed and what would not is because I had already spent years eating meals, drinking tea/beer/and hard-stuff, exchanging gifts, and getting to know who my Chinese counterparts were before we even sat down to discuss business. Now can a computer/AI program do that .... nope.

The Incredible Life Of Anna Chennault .... Power Broker And Unofficial Diplomat

Mrs Chennault was a journalist in her early years in China

BBC: Anna Chennault: 'Steel butterfly' who charmed US and China

When Anna Chennault died last week at the age of 94, the world lost one of the most influential powerbrokers it had never heard of.

Also known by her Chinese name, Chen Xiangmei, she was a stylish fixture on Washington DC's political circuit - but also an unofficial diplomat who skilfully navigated the currents and eddies of 20th Century politics.

She met former US presidents John F Kennedy and Richard Nixon, and former secretary of state Henry Kissinger. She also met China's Deng Xiaoping and Taiwan's Chiang Kai-shek.

All were reportedly impressed by the woman dubbed by the Washington Post as the "legendary steel butterfly".

"There can only be one Chen Xiangmei in the world, let alone the US," declared Deng after he met her in 1981.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: They do not make power-brokers/unofficial diplomats like her anymore. 

What Is The Difference Between A Diplomat And A Spy?

BBC: When is a diplomat really just a spy?

Theresa May says the 23 Russian diplomats kicked out of Britain are "undeclared intelligence officers".

In other words, they're "spies".

This might surprise anyone who thought the key requirements for being a good diplomat were a firm handshake, a decent backhand and the ability to order a gin and tonic in several languages.

So where do you draw the line between official diplomacy and the murky world of espionage?

"Every embassy in the world has spies," says Prof Anthony Glees, director of the Centre for Security and Intelligence Studies at the University of Buckingham.

And because every country does it, he says there's "an unwritten understanding" that governments are prepared to "turn a blind eye" to what goes on within embassies.

Read more ....

WNU Editor:  A rather good explanation from the BBC.