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Shoulder to Shoulder
UK-US defence, development & foreign policy blog
About this blog
20th September 2019
Beirut, Lebanon
This time last year was one of the highlights of my career – presenting Queen Elizabeth’s letter to President Aoun that nominated me as Ambassador. The anniversary has allowed reflection on the year: for Lebanon, and for the UK. My first 12 months in Lebanon has been remarkable. Rolls Royce and MEA signed our largest […]
Read more on 12 months in Lebanon: ‘It can sometimes be hard to stay optimistic … but here’s why I do’ | Reply
8th March 2017
Beirut, Lebanon
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Lebanon is a beautiful country. Its young people are some of the most talented in the world; its workforce one of the best educated; its businessmen amongst the most savvy and its artists among the most creative. But there is something else I need to say […]
Read more on #IWD2017: Give women the chance to succeed | Reply
7th May 2016
Beirut, Lebanon
Winston Churchill famously declared in 1947 that “democracy is the worst form of government except all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” He was speaking from the floor of the House of Commons, the parliamentary chamber reserved for any “common” man or woman elected to represent the people of Britain. […]
Read more on Local Elections of National Importance | Reply
13th October 2015
Washington DC, USA
There are moments, images in life that will stay with you forever. Some are good: for me, the obvious ones – the first glimpse of my children and my wedding day. Too often, though, those moments, those memories are painful and tragic: smoke billowing from the Twin Towers, set against the bluest of New York […]
Read more on MH17 – the slow path towards truth and justice | Reply
5th March 2015
Washington DC, USA
When I first told my dad that I wanted to be a British diplomat, he told me not to be daft; as a woman who hadn’t studied at either Oxford or Cambridge University, I didn’t stand a chance, he said. I like to think he was protecting me from disappointment. Or perhaps he was employing […]
Read more on Proud to be a British (female) Diplomat | Reply
9th October 2014
Washington DC, USA
The P-51 Mustang was an iconic fighter aircraft in US combat service during the 1940s and 1950s during the Second World War, and the Korean War. A global phenomenon, it was also pressed into service by allies including Australia, South Africa, the Republic of Korea, France and the Netherlands. It was first flown operationally by […]
Read more on Battles historic and partnerships enduring | Reply
14th July 2014
Washington DC, USA
The following is a guest post from Captain Graham Henderson, Plans Staff Officer within the Headquarters of the UK’s 1st Mechanized Brigade who participated in the Network Integration Evaluation (NIE). Heavy wind gusts and unforgiving terrain set ideal conditions for testing new equipment in a joint exercise known as the NIE. The Network Integration Evaluation […]
Read more on Testing new technologies for the battlefield | Reply
25th June 2014
Washington DC, USA
“What do British people hate?” A straightforward question – but context is everything. When posed by an earnest thirteen-year-old North Korean schoolboy, in a Q&A discussion with British diplomatic visitors, it took me by surprise. But then much of what my colleagues and I experienced during a week-long familiarisation visit to the Democratic People’s Republic […]
Read more on Impressions from Pyongyang | Reply (2)
19th June 2014
Washington DC, USA
When Google unveiled its latest prototype of a self-driving car in May, it marked a new stage in the relationship between humans and autonomous vehicles in a very public way. But it is just one visible piece of the technical progress in areas such as autonomous systems, advanced manufacturing, and in the thinking on how […]
Read more on The next step forward | Reply
25th April 2014
Washington DC, USA
One of the hardest things I have to do is explain my job. I work on Asia at the British Embassy in Washington DC, and “why?” is the most common question. And, particularly from Americans, “But the UK isn’t a Pacific nation, you haven’t got any skin in the game.” But the simple answer is […]
Read more on From Washington to Beijing | Reply
