Carne Ross
Encyclopedia
Carne Ross is founder and director of Independent Diplomat
, a diplomatic advisory group. Born in 1966, Ross has a fraternal twin, Oliver Ross, a successful paediatric anaesthetist in UK. Ross taught in Zimbabwe before attending the University of Exeter
where he studied economics and politics. He joined the British foreign service in 1989. Ross's testimony in the Butler Review
directly contradicted the British position on the justification behind the invasion of Iraq.
At the UN, Ross served as the UK delegation's expert on the Middle East. Ross also worked on several important Security Council resolutions such as SCR 1284
which rewrote the Council's Iraq policy and established UNMOVIC
, the weapons inspection body. He also negotiated for the UK the resolution establishing the International Security Assistance Force
(ISAF) in Afghanistan
and the Council's resolution of 12 September 2001 condemning the attacks of the day before.
Ross then served as Strategy Coordinator for the UN in Kosovo (UNMIK) where he devised and led a joint UN and government policy to implement a series of standards to improve governance, the rule of law and human rights protection, and advised the Secretary-General's Special Representative on diplomatic and political tactics.
He left the British civil service in 2004 after 15 years of service. He is now a supporter of a UN Parliamentary Assembly. In 2004, he founded the non-governmental organisation Independent Diplomat
.
, which investigated intelligence blunders in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. He testified that at no time during his work on Iraq (1998-2002) did the UK or US assess that Iraq's WMD posed a threat. He also argued that available alternatives to war, namely targeting Iraq's illegal oil revenues, were ignored. This testimony directly challenged Blair's assertions that the war was legally justified by Saddam Hussein's possession of weapons of mass destruction which posed a threat to British interests. The testimony was published by the Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs after MPs sought assurances from the Foreign Office that it would not breach the Official Secrets Act.
Independent Diplomat
Independent Diplomat is a non-profit organisation founded in 2004 by former British diplomat Carne Ross to give advice and assistance in diplomatic strategy and technique to governments and political groups - such as providing 'freelance' diplomats to unrecognised governments Independent Diplomat...
, a diplomatic advisory group. Born in 1966, Ross has a fraternal twin, Oliver Ross, a successful paediatric anaesthetist in UK. Ross taught in Zimbabwe before attending the University of Exeter
University of Exeter
The University of Exeter is a public university in South West England. It belongs to the 1994 Group, an association of 19 of the United Kingdom's smaller research-intensive universities....
where he studied economics and politics. He joined the British foreign service in 1989. Ross's testimony in the Butler Review
Butler Review
On February 3, 2004, the British Government announced an inquiry into the intelligence relating to Iraq's weapons of mass destruction which played a key part in the Government's decision to invade Iraq in 2003. A similar investigation was set up in the USA...
directly contradicted the British position on the justification behind the invasion of Iraq.
Career
Ross joined the British Foreign Office and worked at the UK embassy in Bonn, Germany before moving to the UK mission to the UN where he worked from December 1997 to June 2002.At the UN, Ross served as the UK delegation's expert on the Middle East. Ross also worked on several important Security Council resolutions such as SCR 1284
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1284
United Nations Security Council Resolution 1284, adopted on December 17, 1999, after recalling previous relevant resolutions on Iraq, including resolutions 661 , 687 , 699 , 707 , 715 , 986 , 1051 , 1153 , 1175 , 1242 and 1266 , the Council established the United Nations Monitoring, Verification...
which rewrote the Council's Iraq policy and established UNMOVIC
United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission
The United Nations Monitoring, Verification and Inspection Commission was created through the adoption of United Nations Security Council resolution 1284 of 17 December 1999....
, the weapons inspection body. He also negotiated for the UK the resolution establishing the International Security Assistance Force
International Security Assistance Force
The International Security Assistance Force is a NATO-led security mission in Afghanistan established by the United Nations Security Council on 20 December 2001 by Resolution 1386 as envisaged by the Bonn Agreement...
(ISAF) in Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
and the Council's resolution of 12 September 2001 condemning the attacks of the day before.
Ross then served as Strategy Coordinator for the UN in Kosovo (UNMIK) where he devised and led a joint UN and government policy to implement a series of standards to improve governance, the rule of law and human rights protection, and advised the Secretary-General's Special Representative on diplomatic and political tactics.
He left the British civil service in 2004 after 15 years of service. He is now a supporter of a UN Parliamentary Assembly. In 2004, he founded the non-governmental organisation Independent Diplomat
Independent Diplomat
Independent Diplomat is a non-profit organisation founded in 2004 by former British diplomat Carne Ross to give advice and assistance in diplomatic strategy and technique to governments and political groups - such as providing 'freelance' diplomats to unrecognised governments Independent Diplomat...
.
Testimony on the UK's role in the invasion of Iraq
Ross testified during the Butler ReviewButler Review
On February 3, 2004, the British Government announced an inquiry into the intelligence relating to Iraq's weapons of mass destruction which played a key part in the Government's decision to invade Iraq in 2003. A similar investigation was set up in the USA...
, which investigated intelligence blunders in the run-up to the invasion of Iraq. He testified that at no time during his work on Iraq (1998-2002) did the UK or US assess that Iraq's WMD posed a threat. He also argued that available alternatives to war, namely targeting Iraq's illegal oil revenues, were ignored. This testimony directly challenged Blair's assertions that the war was legally justified by Saddam Hussein's possession of weapons of mass destruction which posed a threat to British interests. The testimony was published by the Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs after MPs sought assurances from the Foreign Office that it would not breach the Official Secrets Act.
Publications and Artistic Endeavours
Ross published a book called "Independent Diplomat: Dispatches from an Unaccountable Elitehttp://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0801445574" in 2007 and a book called "The Leaderless Revolutionhttp://www.carneross.com/the-leaderless-revolution" in 2011. He wrote a play called The Foxhttp://www.curtainup.com/fox.html, which enjoyed a short run in New York in early 2001. He also appeared as an extra in an Alan Partridge Christmas Special.External links
- Independent Diplomat
- UK Publisher: Hurst & Co
- US Publisher: Cornell University Press
- Stephen Moss, "Diplomat at large", The Guardian, 20 June 2005http://politics.guardian.co.uk/interviews/story/0,,1510368,00.html
- Colin Brown and Andy McSmith, "Diplomat's suppressed document lays bare the lies behind Iraq war", The Independent, 15 December 2006http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/politics/article2076137.ece
- TEDTalk: Carne Ross, independent diplomat