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	<title>Shoulder to Shoulder &#8211; Foreign, Commonwealth &amp; Development Office Blogs</title>
	<atom:link href="https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/shouldertoshoulder/feed/" rel="self" type="application/rss+xml" />
	<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk</link>
	<description>A unique insight into UK foreign and development policy</description>
	<lastBuildDate>Fri, 20 Sep 2019 12:54:24 +0000</lastBuildDate>
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	<title>Shoulder to Shoulder &#8211; Foreign, Commonwealth &amp; Development Office Blogs</title>
	<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk</link>
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		<title>12 months in Lebanon: ‘It can sometimes be hard to stay optimistic … but here’s why I do’</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/chrisrampling/2019/09/20/12-months-in-lebanon-it-can-sometimes-be-hard-to-stay-optimistic-but-heres-why-i-do/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Chris Rampling MBE]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 20 Sep 2019 10:51:18 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Digital Diplomacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Partners in Prosperity]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Shoulder to Shoulder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Travel and consular services]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UK in Lebanon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ambassador]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Baalbek]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beirut]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Byblos]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Chevening]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[future]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[hope]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Lebanese communities]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lebanon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[middle east]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Nabatiyeh]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[positive]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[president Aoun]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[refugees]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Saida]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[syria]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tripoli]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[uk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Zahle]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/?p=44815</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[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 [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<item>
		<title>#IWD2017: Give women the chance to succeed</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/hugoshorter/2017/03/08/iwd2017-give-women-the-chance-to-succeed/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hugo Shorter]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 08 Mar 2017 16:56:48 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Shoulder to Shoulder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UK in Lebanon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[#GlobalBritain]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[democracy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[election]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[International Women Day]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[IWD2017]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lebanon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[middle east]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[political life]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[uk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Women]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/?p=36853</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[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 [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<item>
		<title>Local Elections of National Importance</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/hugoshorter/2016/05/07/local-elections-of-national-importance/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Hugo Shorter]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Sat, 07 May 2016 11:21:51 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Shoulder to Shoulder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[beirut]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Constitution]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[democracy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Elections]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[lebanon]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[municipal election]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Winston Churchill]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/?p=27875</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[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. [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<title>MH17 &#8211; the slow path towards truth and justice</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/davidriley/2015/10/13/mh17-the-slow-path-towards-truth-and-justice/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[David Riley]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Tue, 13 Oct 2015 19:13:47 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Shoulder to Shoulder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[russia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ukraine]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/?p=23511</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[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 [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<item>
		<title>Proud to be a British (female) Diplomat</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/emmawade/2015/03/05/proud-to-be-a-british-female-diplomat/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Emma Wade]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 05 Mar 2015 21:19:06 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Shoulder to Shoulder]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://localhost:8888/shouldertoshoulder/?p=596</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[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 [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<item>
		<title>Battles historic and partnerships enduring</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/lewishedge/2014/10/09/battles-historic-and-partnerships-enduring/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lewis Hedge]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 09 Oct 2014 17:43:30 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Shoulder to Shoulder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Air Force]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[british]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Defence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[industry]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mod]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[RAF]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[uk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UK Defence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UK-US Defence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UK-US Relationship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[usa]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://localhost:8888/shouldertoshoulder/?p=583</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[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 [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Testing new technologies for the battlefield</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/jamesillingworth/2014/07/14/testing-new-technologies-for-the-battlefield/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[James Illingworth]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Mon, 14 Jul 2014 17:39:34 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Shoulder to Shoulder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[1st Mechanized Brigade]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Air Force]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Army]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[British Defence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Defence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[interoperability]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Marines]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Navy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Network Integration Evaluation]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[NIE]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technologies]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UK Defence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UK-US Defence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UK-US Relations]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UKinUSA]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[usa]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://localhost:8888/shouldertoshoulder/?p=575</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[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 [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>Impressions from Pyongyang</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/alexanderbrooks/2014/06/25/impressions-from-pyongyang/</link>
					<comments>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/alexanderbrooks/2014/06/25/impressions-from-pyongyang/#comments</comments>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Alex Brooks]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Wed, 25 Jun 2014 15:57:00 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Shoulder to Shoulder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[asia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[British Diplomacy]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DPRK]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Education]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[humanitarian work]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[International Affairs]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[korea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[ngo]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[North Korea]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Pyongyang]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[uk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[un]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://localhost:8888/shouldertoshoulder/?p=561</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[“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&#38;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 [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
					<wfw:commentRss>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/alexanderbrooks/2014/06/25/impressions-from-pyongyang/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
			<slash:comments>2</slash:comments>
		
		
			</item>
		<item>
		<title>The next step forward</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/lewishedge/2014/06/19/the-next-step-forward/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Lewis Hedge]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Thu, 19 Jun 2014 20:26:47 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Shoulder to Shoulder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Armed Forces]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[autonomous vehicles]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[AUVSI]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[british]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Defence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[engineering]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[google]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[military]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[mod]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[science]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SciTech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[self-driving car]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[SOFIC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[tech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[technology]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UAV]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[uk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UK Defence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UK-US Defence]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[UK-US Relationship]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[usa]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://localhost:8888/shouldertoshoulder/?p=552</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[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 [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
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		<item>
		<title>From Washington to Beijing</title>
		<link>https://blogs.fcdo.gov.uk/sophiawilletsking/2014/04/25/from-washington-to-beijing/</link>
		
		<dc:creator><![CDATA[Sophia Willitts-King]]></dc:creator>
		<pubDate>Fri, 25 Apr 2014 23:31:45 +0000</pubDate>
				<category><![CDATA[Shoulder to Shoulder]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[asia]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Asia Pacific]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Beijing]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[China]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[DC]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[pacific]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[speech]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[uk]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[usa]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[washington]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[West]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Westmacott]]></category>
		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://localhost:8888/shouldertoshoulder/?p=544</guid>

					<description><![CDATA[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 [&#8230;]]]></description>
		
		
		
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