Articles

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Behind Diplomatic Lines: Relations with Ministers by Patrick Wright
  • calender icon February 13, 2018

  • user icon Tom Fletcher for Chatham House

The room occupied by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office permanent under-secretary is an intimidating place. Surveying the same St James Park lamps ...

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The pursuit of happiness is backed by science – happy people are more productive
  • calender icon February 11, 2018

  • user icon Tom Fletcher, The National

Writing to a friend in April 1776, the future US president John Adams suggested that the best form of government was one "which communicates e ...

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It used to be said that you are what you eat. For today's leaders and diplomats, you are what you tw
  • calender icon January 29, 2018

  • user icon Tom Fletcher, The National

In some ways, Twitter is simply a return to the lively political debate of the Roman forum. Seven years ago, I produced a set of guidelines for ...

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Is Olly Robbins the 'real' Brexit secretary?
  • calender icon January 23, 2018

  • user icon Nicholas Watt, Newsnight Political Editor, BBC News

What do we know about one of the best-known unknown people in Downing Street?   As a Whitehall mandarin who has spent years shunning t ...

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Four things we have learnt about the world in the past 12 months
  • calender icon December 28, 2017

  • user icon Tom Fletcher, The National

Diplomats hate making predictions. This is partly because we hate to be wrong. It is partly because we don’t know as much as we pretend to. I ...

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