#GI7037
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stevencurtis.bsky.social
Lovely #embassyprotests #GI5051 #GI7037
militarynewsua.bsky.social 🪖MilitaryNewsUA🇺🇦 @militarynewsua.bsky.social · Aug 23
❗️In 🇵🇱Warsaw, activists painted the asphalt near the 🇷🇺Russian embassy in the colors of the 🇺🇦Ukrainian flag
August 23, 2025 at 5:48 PM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
Accommodation and procedural issues at the #multilateral negotiations leading to the Treaty of Westphalia
#GI5051 #GI5052 #GI7037
oddthisday.bsky.social Odd This Day @oddthisday.bsky.social · Mar 10
Now reading Paul Strathern’s Dark Brilliance, and loving the tone, especially these bits about the makeshift chaos and fragile egos of the Peace of Westphalia in the 1640s
Neither of the small cities of Münster and Osnabrück was equipped to play host to a conference of any size, let alone the large delegations which continued to pour in from all over Europe - some unaccompanied by interpreters, others considering it beneath their dignity to pay for accommodation at such an event. Consequently, the Swiss envoy was 'lodged above a wool weaver's shop in a room that stank of sausage and fish oil', and the twenty-nine-strong delegation from Bavaria was only able to obtain eighteen beds. When official meetings did actually take place between senior delegations in the larger municipal buildings in Osnabrück and Münster, a strict protocol soon had to be devised. Delegates refused to mingle or leave themselves open to any slights which might be seen as diminishing their status, such as the late (or early) arrival of their opposite negotiators, the occupancy of the highest chairs at the conference table, and so forth. Thus, prior to an arranged meeting, each delegation would enter the hall through a different doorway, and proceed at the same slow pace so as to take their allotted seats at the conference table at precisely the same time.
March 15, 2026 at 7:58 AM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
#GI5052 #GI7037 #summit
noelreports.com NOELREPORTS @noelreports.com · Mar 27
🇬🇧🇫🇷🇺🇦 Zelensky, Macron, and UK PM Starmer held a brief meeting at the Élysée Palace ahead of the "Coalition of the Willing" summit. The larger talks will include delegations and leaders from 31 countries.

news.sky.com/story/ukrain...
March 27, 2025 at 12:32 PM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
On how to prepare for a #summit meeting with Trump
#GI5052 #GI7037
markurban.bsky.social Mark Urban @markurban.bsky.social · Sep 11
A belter of an episode this week @crisisroompod.bsky.social
we talk to fmr French ambo to Washington Gerard Araud
about he prepared Macron to meet Trump, this week’s collapse of the French government and why the world will not go back to ‘business as usual’ post Trump t.co/z0UaKUswD8
https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-crisis-room/id1815989479?i=1000726220002
t.co
September 11, 2025 at 8:20 PM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
#China ‘planned car collision’ during Taiwan vice-president’s visit to Prague
#GI5051 #GI7037 #espionage
China ‘planned car collision’ during Taiwan vice-president’s visit to Prague
Czech intelligence revealed Chinese diplomats allegedly planned staged incident during Hsiao Bi-khim’s 2024 visit
www.theguardian.com
June 28, 2025 at 7:35 PM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
Summit diplomacy as biting one’s tongue

State leaders navigate the idiot and uniformed Trump
#GI5052 #GI7037
thebulwark.com The Bulwark @thebulwark.com · Jul 9
Trump to the President of Liberia: "Such good English. Where did you learn to speak so beautifully?"

English is the official language of Liberia...
July 11, 2025 at 7:42 AM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
The Climate Diplomat by Peter Betts review – the most important person you’ve never heard of
#GI5052 #environment #GI7037
The Climate Diplomat by Peter Betts review – the most important person you’ve never heard of
A British civil servant’s revelatory account of negotiations to avert climate catastrophe
www.theguardian.com
October 9, 2025 at 10:17 AM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
Trump diplomacy: Carry a big stick and drag your knuckles
www.seattletimes.com/opinion/trum...
#GI5051 #GI5052 #GI7037
David Horsey cartoon in Seattle Times
February 8, 2025 at 10:34 AM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
‘I’m leaving,’ Trump said. ‘There’s no reason to be here any more’: inside the meeting that brought Nato to the brink
#GI5052 #GI7037 #summit
‘I’m leaving,’ Trump said. ‘There’s no reason to be here any more’: inside the meeting that brought Nato to the brink
Former secretary general Jens Stoltenberg recalls the rollercoaster ride of dealing with Donald Trump – and how close the US president brought the alliance to the point of collapse
www.theguardian.com
October 4, 2025 at 10:05 PM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
Bahar Rumelili and Rahime Süleymanoğlu-Kürüm discuss their new article, 'Feminising diplomatic work: Driving devaluation?' courtesy of @mybisa.bsky.social
#GI5051 #GI5052 #GI7037
Feminising diplomatic work: Driving devaluation?
Bahar Rumelili and Rahime Süleymanoğlu-Kürüm discuss the key points from their new RIS article.
www.bisa.ac.uk
February 9, 2026 at 12:30 PM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
Foreign Office staff told to consider resigning after challenging UK policy on Gaza #GI5051 #GI7037
Foreign Office staff told to consider resigning after challenging UK policy on Gaza
Department’s top officials respond to last month’s letter from more than 300 civil servants who raised concerns
www.theguardian.com
June 10, 2025 at 8:49 AM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
G20: Will Trump’s no-show eclipse South Africa’s moment? #summit #GI5052 #GI7037
G20: Will Trump’s no-show eclipse South Africa’s moment?
The host nation's goal of advocating for developing nations may be overshadowed by the absence of the US president.
www.bbc.co.uk
November 22, 2025 at 12:32 PM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
Why US diplomats tweet from the hip in response to Henry Nowak murder #GI5052 #GI7037 #digitaldiplomacy
Why US diplomats tweet from the hip in response to Henry Nowak murder
State department’s incendiary charge into UK politics comes from Trump who leaned into personal feud with London mayor, Sadiq Khan
www.theguardian.com
June 5, 2026 at 6:51 PM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
Fossil fuel lobbyists outnumber all #Cop30 delegations except Brazil #GI5052 #GI7037 #environment
Fossil fuel lobbyists outnumber all Cop30 delegations except Brazil, report says
One in every 25 participants at 2025 UN climate summit is a fossil fuel lobbyist, according to Kick Big Polluters Out
www.theguardian.com
November 14, 2025 at 8:56 AM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
Trump at the UN: 'Six years ago his audience laughed, this year they were silent'
#GI5052 #GI7037
Trump UN speech: Six years ago his audience laughed, this year they were silent
The US leader's address was one of the clearest expositions of the way he sees the world, writes James Landale.
www.bbc.co.uk
September 23, 2025 at 8:49 PM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
How thousands of fossil fuel lobbyists got access to UN climate talks – and then kept drilling
#GI5052 #GI7037 #environment
How thousands of fossil fuel lobbyists got access to UN climate talks – and then kept drilling
Exclusive: Research shows oil, gas and coal firms’ unprecedented access to Cop26-29, blocking urgent climate action
www.theguardian.com
November 8, 2025 at 12:47 AM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
‘[M]odern technology and the nature of the Chinese threat means that, in the words of one former British intelligence officer, “embassies are less and less relevant”.’
#GI5051 #GI7037 #GI7100 #china #espionage #transnationalrepression
Why a Chinese ‘mega embassy’ is not such a worry for British spies
Politicians are raising the alarm, while MI5 quietly welcomes the prospect of Beijing’s new London facility
www.theguardian.com
January 18, 2026 at 6:08 PM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
"A former convict, a Broadway producer, a few billionaires and his son’s one-time fiancée": Trump's ambassador nominees extraordinaire #GI5051 #GI7037 (I missed this two-week old story over the Xmas break)
Trump’s 7 most eye-opening European ambassador picks
A former convict, a Broadway producer, a few billionaires and his son’s one-time fiancée. Meet the U.S. president-elect’s eclectic transatlantic envoys.
www.politico.eu
January 4, 2025 at 10:54 AM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
Yeah, I’m sure that will fix it #GI5051 #GI7037 www.theguardian.com/politics/202...
The government has set out new guidance for politically appointed ambassadors intended to avoid a repeat of the Mandelson scandal. The updated guidelines state that candidates directly appointed by ministers outside the civil service system should undergo a pre-appointment interview with a senior official and an informal “fireside chat” with the minister in charge.
November 3, 2025 at 9:32 PM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
Trump’s draft plan to trash the State Department. Farewell to Africa and using AI for policy development!
#GI5051 #GI7037 #MFA
www.nytimes.com/2025/04/20/u...
The draft executive order calls for ending the foreign service exam for aspiring diplomats, and it lays out new criteria for hiring, including “alignment with the president’s foreign policy vision.” The draft says the department must greatly expand its use of artificial intelligence to help draft documents, and to undertake “policy development and review” and “operational planning.” The department would eliminate a bureau overseeing democracy and human rights issues; one that handles refugees and migration; and another that works with international organizations. The under secretary position overseeing the first two bureaus would be cut. So would the office of the under secretary of public diplomacy and public affairs. The department would also get rid of the position of the special envoy for climate. One of the most drastic proposed changes would be eliminating the bureau of African affairs, which oversees policy in sub-Saharan Africa. It would be replaced by a much smaller special envoy office for African affairs that would report to the White House National Security Council. The office would focus on a handful of issues, including “coordinated counterterrorism operations.” The draft also said all “nonessential” embassies and consulates in sub-Saharan Africa would be closed by Oct. 1. Diplomats would be sent to Africa on “targeted, mission-driven deployments,” the document said.
April 20, 2025 at 11:37 AM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
Golden ticket: why Versailles invite is the ‘real deal’ for Trump #summit #GI5052 #GI7037
Golden ticket: why Versailles invite is the ‘real deal’ for Trump
The US president’s opulent tastes will be well served in a palace that has hosted Putin, King Charles and JFK
www.theguardian.com
June 17, 2026 at 7:52 PM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
Russia’s top secret spy school teaching hacking and election meddling
#GI7037 #GI5051 #espionage
Revealed: Russia’s top secret spy school teaching hacking and election meddling
Exclusive: Documents obtained by journalists show the role of ‘Department 4’ within a Moscow University in training operatives for the military
www.theguardian.com
May 7, 2026 at 9:10 PM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
The diplomacy at play behind the King's speeches
#GI5052 #GI7037 #statevisit
The diplomacy at play behind the King's speeches
How King Charles III navigated a diplomatic tightrope in his speech to the US Congress.
www.bbc.co.uk
April 29, 2026 at 6:35 PM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
“Give us a ring”: Charles gives Trump a submarine bell
#GI5052 #GI5051 #GI7037
‘Give us a ring’: King Charles III gifts Trump WWII-era Submarine Bell
YouTube video by Sky News Australia
youtu.be
April 29, 2026 at 12:31 PM
stevencurtis.bsky.social
Iran's #ambassador to UK summoned over 'unacceptable' and 'inflammatory' social media remarks
#GI5051 #GI7037 #embassy
Government summons Iran's ambassador to UK over 'unacceptable' and 'inflammatory' social media remarks | LBC
The Iranian Embassy has been told to “cease any form of communications that could be interpreted as encouraging violence in the UK or internationally.”
www.lbc.co.uk
April 29, 2026 at 6:39 AM