Grassroot Diplomat Talks

On a personal trip to Germany, Talyn noticed life-size porcelain bears scattered around Berlin. Little did she know that these adorable bear sculptures served more than just being “cute”. These bears served a deep diplomatic purpose and had a history of tolerance and global acceptance.

In this podcast, Talyn Rahman-Figueroa (CEO) talks about how she discovered the Buddy Bear Ambassadors and the role these bears play to the modern practices of diplomacy in a country that shared a host of world wars.

Do you think women’s empowerment is bullshit or a necessary activity to help women around the world to get access to equality? It depends on how empowerment activities are conducted and who is in charge.

What is national interest and does it serve the people or the government?

In this special podcast, Talyn Rahman-Figueroa (CEO) has an open conversation with Dr Paul Clark, Acting Chair of Grassroot Diplomat, about the tricky balancing act diplomats and politicians have to play in managing conflicts of interests, and national interests. Dr Clark served as a British politician and government minister for 18 years.

Sexism is deeply entrenched in society. We may not be aware that we are creating gender differentiation through our actions and behaviour but when everyone believes and acts a certain way, we grow to expect these attitudes and behaviour as the norm, whether it is right or wrong.

There is almost a sense of mysticism when thinking of some of the amazing activities diplomats get up to. There are a lot of common stereotypes and misconceptions on the roles that diplomats play and all the amazing things they get up to around the around. Many times, simply the very idea of travel and living on the government’s dime is enough for people wanting to pursue a diplomatic career. But is that enough?

All diplomats are therefore expected to conduct themselves in the same way but must be able to stay flexible around how they work around cultures.

Is there such a thing as being “good” at diplomacy? And other than breaking into war, what does “bad” diplomatic practice look like? Apparently, there are plenty of evidence to showcase this, especially through practice.

Diplomatic immunity has been subject to abuse by many foreign diplomats around the world. For many, diplomatic immunity is like a magic Harry Potter cloak that hides secrets and protects them from harm. But is this legal privilege necessary for the protection of diplomats in today’s modern age or is it an excuse to not pay parking fines?

As the world watches Brexit unfold in Europe, marginalised members of our communities are being demonised for their religion, race and nationality. There is so much that diplomats can do to mitigate hate crimes and far-right nationalism and Grassroot Diplomat shows them how.

Diplomats are well aware of all the intricate details that need to be established when hosting a government minister abroad. They become the priority and all other engagements are secondary to this important and high-level engagement. However have you ever wondered what happens when you become a government minister?