Letters from the Iranian Revolution
Ten years ago, in February, the Iranian Revolution toppled the Shah’s regime. A year later, the Canadian Embassy closed down because of its involvement in smuggling six American diplomats out of the country. It reopened late in 1988. To give some of…
The New Internationalism: Implications for Canada’s Foreign Policy and Foreign Service
The following was originally a speech given to a meeting of the Professional Association of Foreign Service Officers which was subsequently revised for publication in bout de papier.
From Vietnam, Looking Outward
From April 27 to May 12 a delegation of 12 Canadian academics visited Vietnam to examine conditions and prospects with a view to compiling a book on Vietnam in the 1990’s: Canadian Perspectives. They also had talks in Bangkok, Thailand before and…
Preparing for the Worst: Post Evacuation à la Victor Odlum
One of the most colourful appointees as a Canadian Head of Post was General Victor Odlum. He was originally appointed in 1940 as our first High Commissioner to Australia (in order to relieve the Prime Minister of the political embarrassment of having…
Baghdad: Life in a War Zone
“This isn’t our war — should we really be here?” The question was voiced by an Embassy staff member one morning last March after an Iranian missile had struck our residential neighborhood about 500 meters from the chancery, demolishing five villas and…
Some Thoughts on Policy Planning in External Affairs
Although it is commonly agreed by diplomats and their academic watchdogs that every foreign office requires a strategic policy planning unit, there remains considerable disagreement in both circles on its mandate and position. Policy planning has multiple facets, the most important are…
The Poets of External
External’s early archives yield such amazing gems! Readers of bout de papier may remember, for example, my yarn (in Vol. 5, No. 3) about the unbelievable correspondence in the middle of World War II between the Canadian Legation in Washington, ie. Mike…
Representation: One Offsider’s View
Accuse a diplomat of being primarily a social gadfly and only secondarily a working public servant and the fires of righteous indignation will be well and truly lit.
The Mechanics of Media Relations
I would love to meet the civil servants who troll the halls of government departments inspecting press releases to make sure they’re boring. They must exist, because the average public sector press release reads like this:
Le logement : un enjeu crucial
On s’est beaucoup préoccupé ces dernières années du bien-être de nos employés à l’étranger et de celui de leurs familles. Les conversations abondent de témoignages sur des problèmes spécifiques ayant affecté des enfants, des conjoints ou des gens seuls à quelque mission.…
