"To be a diplomat, it is not enough to be stupid, must still be polite." The prejudices that die hard, the formula continues to recipe, as would be shown, these days, the campaign launched against the diplomats of the Quai d'Orsay. Already they spent their time basking in the Palace of the Republic around the world, they were just good enough to offer a bit of champagne to 14-July (and again, with less restrictions budget), and they were short-circuited by the direct relationship between heads of state, now they have been unable to predict the fall of Zine El-AbidineBen Ali and Hosni Mubarak.
It tells you: they are zero, arch-zero, the diplomats of the Quai d'Orsay. Of rakes, the softies, snobs, small marquis, useless, what. As well tell you right away, I was one of them, which of course makes me suspicious but does not prevent me to deliver three secrets. First secret: nobody does anything, nor the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union nor the Iranian Revolution of 1979 or the invasion of Kuwait, Saddam Hussein in 1990 nor the 2008 financial crisis, nor the fall of Ben Ali and Mubarak.
Revolutions are unique in that they always seem inevitable after the event and a priori impossible. It is ridiculous to blame for failing to diplomats predicted that no intelligence of any Western country had anticipated. The problem is not there. It is in past behavior on the spot and in Paris against authoritarian regimes and domestic opposition to these plans.
And then there are two things to say: first ambassadors are human beings, they are not all heroes. But if some have not covered themselves with glory under dictatorships, others, more numerous, have been at the level of events, both in telegrams sent to Paris in their relations with opponents on the spot.
Second, we can not ask the diplomats to be more royalist than the king. When the last thirty years, the highest authorities of the Republic award patents to democracy from authoritarian regimes and their leaders received with pomp, it does not really encourage diplomats who are expected to implement government policy, to initiate calls to revolt.
In other words, we can not put on the backs of diplomats what is first decisions taken by leaders of the state. Second secret: the drama of diplomats is that they do a real job, a nice job, a hard job, whose families often pay the price, they generally have a terrain awareness irreplaceable (ask our entrepreneurs), they are animated by a sense of the unusual state, but nobody knows and it's not just their fault.
It is true that it is almost the same everywhere in Europe. Small consolation. It would be hard to cry in the cottages on the fate of the diplomats or call to demonstrate in the streets on behalf of the defense of their profession. But at least everyone sweep in front of his door that diplomats have confidence in them, are interdependent and constantly bring up the Quai d'Orsay as the virtuous victim consented and budgetary decisions wrong sometimes short, they defend their work in selecting the best, punishing the mismanagement or misconduct, rewarding imagination, character and risk taking, by banishing the defense of the status quo.
At this price they will from our leaders a little more consideration. Evil, moreover, do not start today. With the exception of General de Gaulle, who had a high opinion of the State and its servants, all presidents of the Fifth Republic have treated their diplomats over the leg Georges Pompidou mocked them by talking about followers of a cup of tea and cupcake; Valery Giscard d'Estaing and Francois Mitterrand saw them as butlers, and Jacques Chirac as wimps.
Curious attitude that is to discredit the very people who represent you. Third secret by these days, foreign policy is an art more and more difficult, because no country can claim to control anything (just see the U.S. in the Middle East), that power relations between traditional and new powers are evolving at an amazing speed, because the threats are more diffuse and because the economic and financial crisis exacerbates the national interests, etc..
In this world where our daily life depends more and more of the outside world and where everything is linked, directly or indirectly, to the international role of diplomats is more important than ever and even greater responsibility . Analyzes situations and they are the advice they give to their leaders on how to defend our interests, to form alliances, initiatives to be taken to overcome the contradictions, threats to eliminate, opportunities to seize The negotiations to be conducted should be even stronger and more imaginative, uncompromising, without conformity, without taboos and without fear of displeasing the prince.
Diplomats to be at the height; their leaders to treat them accordingly. Gerard Errera, Ambassador of France, former secretary general of the Quai d'Orsay Article published in the edition of 16.02.11 
It tells you: they are zero, arch-zero, the diplomats of the Quai d'Orsay. Of rakes, the softies, snobs, small marquis, useless, what. As well tell you right away, I was one of them, which of course makes me suspicious but does not prevent me to deliver three secrets. First secret: nobody does anything, nor the sudden collapse of the Soviet Union nor the Iranian Revolution of 1979 or the invasion of Kuwait, Saddam Hussein in 1990 nor the 2008 financial crisis, nor the fall of Ben Ali and Mubarak.
Revolutions are unique in that they always seem inevitable after the event and a priori impossible. It is ridiculous to blame for failing to diplomats predicted that no intelligence of any Western country had anticipated. The problem is not there. It is in past behavior on the spot and in Paris against authoritarian regimes and domestic opposition to these plans.
And then there are two things to say: first ambassadors are human beings, they are not all heroes. But if some have not covered themselves with glory under dictatorships, others, more numerous, have been at the level of events, both in telegrams sent to Paris in their relations with opponents on the spot.
Second, we can not ask the diplomats to be more royalist than the king. When the last thirty years, the highest authorities of the Republic award patents to democracy from authoritarian regimes and their leaders received with pomp, it does not really encourage diplomats who are expected to implement government policy, to initiate calls to revolt.
In other words, we can not put on the backs of diplomats what is first decisions taken by leaders of the state. Second secret: the drama of diplomats is that they do a real job, a nice job, a hard job, whose families often pay the price, they generally have a terrain awareness irreplaceable (ask our entrepreneurs), they are animated by a sense of the unusual state, but nobody knows and it's not just their fault.
It is true that it is almost the same everywhere in Europe. Small consolation. It would be hard to cry in the cottages on the fate of the diplomats or call to demonstrate in the streets on behalf of the defense of their profession. But at least everyone sweep in front of his door that diplomats have confidence in them, are interdependent and constantly bring up the Quai d'Orsay as the virtuous victim consented and budgetary decisions wrong sometimes short, they defend their work in selecting the best, punishing the mismanagement or misconduct, rewarding imagination, character and risk taking, by banishing the defense of the status quo.
At this price they will from our leaders a little more consideration. Evil, moreover, do not start today. With the exception of General de Gaulle, who had a high opinion of the State and its servants, all presidents of the Fifth Republic have treated their diplomats over the leg Georges Pompidou mocked them by talking about followers of a cup of tea and cupcake; Valery Giscard d'Estaing and Francois Mitterrand saw them as butlers, and Jacques Chirac as wimps.
Curious attitude that is to discredit the very people who represent you. Third secret by these days, foreign policy is an art more and more difficult, because no country can claim to control anything (just see the U.S. in the Middle East), that power relations between traditional and new powers are evolving at an amazing speed, because the threats are more diffuse and because the economic and financial crisis exacerbates the national interests, etc..
In this world where our daily life depends more and more of the outside world and where everything is linked, directly or indirectly, to the international role of diplomats is more important than ever and even greater responsibility . Analyzes situations and they are the advice they give to their leaders on how to defend our interests, to form alliances, initiatives to be taken to overcome the contradictions, threats to eliminate, opportunities to seize The negotiations to be conducted should be even stronger and more imaginative, uncompromising, without conformity, without taboos and without fear of displeasing the prince.
Diplomats to be at the height; their leaders to treat them accordingly. Gerard Errera, Ambassador of France, former secretary general of the Quai d'Orsay Article published in the edition of 16.02.11
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