UK in Lebanon

10th October 2012 Beirut, Lebanon

Tom Fletcher

by Tom Fletcher

Former British Ambassador to Lebanon

Five Questions

Eisenhower said that if you can’t fix a problem, you should make it bigger. Lebanon is trying to fix a big problem – preventing the violence from Syria tipping it into instability. So far, it is doing well, and as I’ve argued, should not be fatalist about external factors (mindsoupblog). But for a country that […]

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2nd October 2012 Beirut, Lebanon

Tom Fletcher

by Tom Fletcher

Former British Ambassador to Lebanon

The Naked Diplomat

Tomorrow, we’re hosting in Beirut a conference on how diplomats can respond to the way in which social media is changing our work. We’ll be hosting a tweetup (#digiconflb) and drawing on the feedback so far on the FCO’s digital consultation. I was lucky to take part in a panel on social media during last […]

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7th September 2012 Beirut, Lebanon

Tom Fletcher

by Tom Fletcher

Former British Ambassador to Lebanon

In Lebanon’s Hands

Lebanon tends to be high on our August watchlist. This year there was no major single crisis, but five developments raised anxiety. Israel accused Hizballah of involvement in the Bourgas terrorist attack. A pro-Assad former Minister was arrested. Kidnappings returned in a dangerous 48 hours. Some Gulf countries told their nationals to leave. The Tripoli […]

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24th May 2012 Beirut, Lebanon

Tom Fletcher

by Tom Fletcher

Former British Ambassador to Lebanon

Beauty and the beast: The Lebanese paradox

Monday marked 100 days until the London Paralympics. We had prepared a programme of events promoting the milestone, raising the profile of London and the UK, and encouraging greater focus on disability rights in Lebanon. But the disturbances of the weekend meant that we took a decision to focus on those instead. In a country […]

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16th March 2012 Beirut, Lebanon

Tom Fletcher

by Tom Fletcher

Former British Ambassador to Lebanon

Reconciliation and coexistence: five ideas for Lebanon from Northern Ireland

Yesterday, I joined an inspirational conference on reconciliation and coexistence, led by interfaith NGO Adyan. It reminded me of the great Margaret Mead line – ‘Never underestimate the power of a small group of committed people to change the world. In fact, it is the only thing that ever has.’ Beirut is of course the […]

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7th March 2012 Beirut, Lebanon

Tom Fletcher

by Tom Fletcher

Former British Ambassador to Lebanon

Humanitarians, Hacks, and Heroes

Last week was full of surprises. On Sunday night, Valerie Amos, head of UN humanitarian affairs, arrived at short notice. I had worked closely with her several years ago when she was a Minister for Africa, so it was great to reminisce. But more importantly, we were able to discuss how best to persuade the […]

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5th March 2012 Beirut, Lebanon

Tom Fletcher

by Tom Fletcher

Former British Ambassador to Lebanon

English in Lebanon: A Fire Worth Lighting

A love of English language teaching is in my DNA. My first job was as an English teacher, to Palestinian schoolchildren. My Grandfather spent fifty years in Nigeria, promoting access to English education. And my father has devoted his life to making it easier and more fun for people to learn English. He lives the […]

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30th January 2012 Beirut, Lebanon

Tom Fletcher

by Tom Fletcher

Former British Ambassador to Lebanon

Lebanon 2020

There is a joke that does the rounds in Beirut. Q: ‘What’s the definition of Lebanese long term thinking?’ A: ‘See you tomorrow’. Like many Lebanese jokes, there is  truth in this. Of course, a focus on the short term is understandable, given the conflicts of the past, the volatility of the region, the interference […]

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30th December 2011 Beirut, Lebanon

Tom Fletcher

by Tom Fletcher

Former British Ambassador to Lebanon

The Arc of History Bends Towards Justice

Several Ambassadors were asked by Le Revue Diplomatique for an article on the Middle East over the coming year. Here’s the short version of my thoughts. 2011 was a tumultuous and breathtaking year for the region. At our end of year shura of British ambassadors in the Middle East, it was striking how tired everyone […]

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20th December 2011 Beirut, Lebanon

Tom Fletcher

by Tom Fletcher

Former British Ambassador to Lebanon

Social Media Changing Lives, and Lebanon

The theme of last week’s International Human Rights Day was the role that social media can play in highlighting and challenging human rights abuses. So I was excited to be invited to take part in the American University of Beirut’s conference on Social Media Changing Lives, put together by the excellent @mhijazi  and his team. […]

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