After 40 years serving as a career diplomat, Sir Peter Westmacott joins Jon Sopel, BBC’s North America Editor, to discuss his life as an official at the Foreign & Commonwealth Office and representing the UK abroad in countries as varied as Iran, Turkey, France and the US.
While representing the UK around the globe, Sir Peter was privy to and influenced important negotiations ranging from relations between Argentina and the Falkland Islands to Turkey’s bid to join the European Union and the 2015 Iran nuclear deal.
Drawing on his new book, They Call It Diplomacy: Forty Years of Representing Britain Abroad, Sir Peter shares his experience living in and understanding foreign countries and of working alongside global leaders such as Tony Blair, Nicolas Sarkozy, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Barack Obama and Joe Biden. He also offers his views on how Britain might rediscover a global role following the UK’s departure from the EU.
Participants
Sir Peter Westmacott, Senior Adviser, Chatham House; Author, They Call It Diplomacy: Forty Years of Representing Britain Abroad
In conversation with:
Jon Sopel, North America Editor, BBC
