The Online Diplomat The Online Diplomat

In this strangest of years, international cooperation has taken on a different aspect. Border closures, quarantine and testing regimes have never before been part of my daily diplomatic vocabulary. Though as a well travelled diplomat vaccination has long played a small but important part in my professional life.

The world faces a common challenge that affects each country in ways that are both similar and different, as waves of infection hit us on different cycles and with differing intensities, It has been a year of global and national learning as we try to find the best responses to protect people and safeguard livelihoods.

BLOG: https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/sianmacleod/2021/02/08/boycie-and-baldrick-get-a-shot-in-the-arm/

This is the first blogcast I have recorded for several weeks. This is mainly because I had to travel to the UK for family reasons - a journey that was a story in itself. But there is another reason too. I have been spending my evenings doing an online training course.

Diplomacy is a career of life-long learning, whether that is languages, local history, international treaties or law, or the science behind topical foreign policy priorities. At the moment that means, for example, improving our understanding of coronavirus infection transmission rates and of carbon emissions.

Can Christmas be Christmas without presents?

How do you celebrate Christmas this year?

The global skies have been pretty dark metaphorically over past months. They have been pretty gloomy too here literally for much of the time.

I’m lucky enough to look out of my window in Belgrade at trees and sky. Sadly though that view is often rather murky, with visibility limited to the great oak trees at the end of my garden.

One glimpse of a silver lining in the metaphorical clouds is the growing political, media and public attention focused on air quality.

BLOG: https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/sianmacleod/2020/11/27/bad-air-days-and-silver-linings/

This has been a solemn week in what has been a desperately sad month in a desperately sad year.

On 11 November the UK like many other countries commemorates Remembrance Day, or Armistice Day, which originally marked the guns falling silent at the end of the First World War. Every country has its own way of commemorating past conflict. For us 11 November is about remembrance. As we say at our traditional commemoration: At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them.

https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/sianmacleod/2020/11/13/time-like-an-ever-rolling-stream/

Diplomacy is never a 9-5 job and, however much we like to plan, it is rarely possible to predict exactly how your time will be spent in any given week.

The coronavirus pandemic has added to the unpredictability. One thing is certain though: my week will involve drinking a lot of tea.

BLOG: https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/sianmacleod/2020/11/06/tea-with-everything-a-diplomatic-week/