Robert Cooper (diplomat)
Encyclopedia
Robert Francis Cooper, CMG
, MVO
(born 1947 in Essex, United Kingdom) is a British diplomat and advisor currently serving as a Counsellor in the European External Action Service
. He is also a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations
and is an acclaimed publisher on foreign affairs.
, Essex
, and educated at the Delamere School for Boys, Nairobi
, Kenya
, and Worcester College
, Oxford
. He won a Thouron Award
, and spent the academic year 1969-70 at the University of Pennsylvania
, joining the Diplomatic Service of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
in 1970.
As a diplomat, he has worked at various British Embassies abroad, notably those in Tokyo
and Bonn
. At the Foreign Office, he was Head of the Policy Planning Staff from 1989 to 1993. He has also been seconded to the Bank of England
and spent a period in the Cabinet Office
as Deputy Secretary for Defence and Overseas Affairs. He was the UK's Special Representative in Afghanistan
until mid-2002.
In 2002 he began to work for the European Union
(EU). He assumed the role of Director-General for External and Politico-Military Affairs at the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union
. In that role, he was responsible to Javier Solana
, the former High Representative
of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy
, and has assisted with the implementation of European strategic, security and defence policy. Since 2007 he has also been a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations
.
After the Treaty of Lisbon
's shake up of EU foreign policy structures, and Solana's replacement by Catherine Ashton, Cooper sat on the steering committee which drew up the proposals for the new European External Action Service
(EEAS). After the EEAS, the EU's foreign service, was formally established in December 2010 Cooper was made an EEAS "Counsellor".
, an internationally acclaimed concert pianist.
i government crackdowns against protesters, waving off suggestions of police violence and saying "accidents happen." His comments came a week after a video surfaced showing a Bahraini police convoy
performing drive-by shooting
s against unarmed protesters.
, he was made a Member of the Royal Victorian Order
(5th Class). He has subsequently been awarded a CMG
.
In 2004, Cooper was awarded the Orwell Prize
for The Breaking of Nations.
In November, 2005, he was listed among the top 100 in Prospect
magazine's Global Intellectuals Poll
.
", "Modern states" and "Postmodern
states", and statements such as "The challenge to the postmodern world is to get used to the idea of double standards
". His world-view is said to have been influential in the political thinking of Tony Blair
as well as the development of European Security and Defence Policy
.
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
, MVO
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(born 1947 in Essex, United Kingdom) is a British diplomat and advisor currently serving as a Counsellor in the European External Action Service
European External Action Service
The European External Action Service is a European Union department that was established following the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009...
. He is also a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations
European Council on Foreign Relations
The ' is the first pan-European think tank. Launched in October 2007, its objective is to conduct research and promote informed debate across Europe on the development of coherent and effective European values based foreign policy....
and is an acclaimed publisher on foreign affairs.
Career
He was born on 28 August 1947, in BrentwoodBrentwood, Essex
Brentwood is a town and the principal settlement of the Borough of Brentwood, in the county of Essex in the east of England. It is located in the London commuter belt, 20 miles east north-east of Charing Cross in London, and near the M25 motorway....
, Essex
Essex
Essex is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the East region of England, and one of the home counties. It is located to the northeast of Greater London. It borders with Cambridgeshire and Suffolk to the north, Hertfordshire to the west, Kent to the South and London to the south west...
, and educated at the Delamere School for Boys, Nairobi
Nairobi
Nairobi is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The city and its surrounding area also forms the Nairobi County. The name "Nairobi" comes from the Maasai phrase Enkare Nyirobi, which translates to "the place of cool waters". However, it is popularly known as the "Green City in the Sun" and is...
, Kenya
Kenya
Kenya , officially known as the Republic of Kenya, is a country in East Africa that lies on the equator, with the Indian Ocean to its south-east...
, and Worcester College
Worcester College, Oxford
Worcester College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. The college was founded in the eighteenth century, but its predecessor on the same site had been an institution of learning since the late thirteenth century...
, Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
. He won a Thouron Award
Thouron Award
The Thouron Award was established in 1960 by Sir John R.H. Thouron, K.B.E., and the late Esther du Pont Thouron.It was created to strengthen the "special relationship" between the United States and the United Kingdom through educational exchange between British universities and the University of...
, and spent the academic year 1969-70 at the University of Pennsylvania
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania is a private, Ivy League university located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States,Penn is the fourth-oldest using the founding dates claimed by each institution...
, joining the Diplomatic Service of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office
Foreign and Commonwealth Office
The Foreign and Commonwealth Office, commonly called the Foreign Office or the FCO is a British government department responsible for promoting the interests of the United Kingdom overseas, created in 1968 by merging the Foreign Office and the Commonwealth Office.The head of the FCO is the...
in 1970.
As a diplomat, he has worked at various British Embassies abroad, notably those in Tokyo
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
and Bonn
Bonn
Bonn is the 19th largest city in Germany. Located in the Cologne/Bonn Region, about 25 kilometres south of Cologne on the river Rhine in the State of North Rhine-Westphalia, it was the capital of West Germany from 1949 to 1990 and the official seat of government of united Germany from 1990 to 1999....
. At the Foreign Office, he was Head of the Policy Planning Staff from 1989 to 1993. He has also been seconded to the Bank of England
Bank of England
The Bank of England is the central bank of the United Kingdom and the model on which most modern central banks have been based. Established in 1694, it is the second oldest central bank in the world...
and spent a period in the Cabinet Office
Cabinet Office
The Cabinet Office is a department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for supporting the Prime Minister and Cabinet of the United Kingdom....
as Deputy Secretary for Defence and Overseas Affairs. He was the UK's Special Representative 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...
until mid-2002.
In 2002 he began to work for the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
(EU). He assumed the role of Director-General for External and Politico-Military Affairs at the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union
Council of the European Union
The Council of the European Union is the institution in the legislature of the European Union representing the executives of member states, the other legislative body being the European Parliament. The Council is composed of twenty-seven national ministers...
. In that role, he was responsible to Javier Solana
Javier Solana
Francisco Javier Solana de Madariaga, KOGF is a Spanish physicist and Socialist politician. After serving in the Spanish government under Felipe González and Secretary General of NATO , he was appointed the European Union's High Representative for Common Foreign and Security Policy, Secretary...
, the former High Representative
High Representative
High Representative may refer to either:* The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy High Representative may refer to either:* The High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy High Representative may refer to either:* The High...
of the EU's Common Foreign and Security Policy
Common Foreign and Security Policy
The Common Foreign and Security Policy is the organised, agreed foreign policy of the European Union for mainly security and defence diplomacy and actions. CFSP deals only with a specific part of the EU's external relations, which domains include mainly Trade and Commercial Policy and other areas...
, and has assisted with the implementation of European strategic, security and defence policy. Since 2007 he has also been a member of the European Council on Foreign Relations
European Council on Foreign Relations
The ' is the first pan-European think tank. Launched in October 2007, its objective is to conduct research and promote informed debate across Europe on the development of coherent and effective European values based foreign policy....
.
After the Treaty of Lisbon
Treaty of Lisbon
The Treaty of Lisbon of 1668 was a peace treaty between Portugal and Spain, concluded at Lisbon on 13 February 1668, through the mediation of England, in which Spain recognized the sovereignty of Portugal's new ruling dynasty, the House of Braganza....
's shake up of EU foreign policy structures, and Solana's replacement by Catherine Ashton, Cooper sat on the steering committee which drew up the proposals for the new European External Action Service
European External Action Service
The European External Action Service is a European Union department that was established following the entry into force of the Treaty of Lisbon on 1 December 2009...
(EEAS). After the EEAS, the EU's foreign service, was formally established in December 2010 Cooper was made an EEAS "Counsellor".
Personal life
His longstanding partner is Dame Mitsuko UchidaMitsuko Uchida
, born 20 December 1948, is a Japanese naturalized British classical pianist.-Career:Born in Atami, a seaside town close to Tokyo, Japan, Uchida moved to Vienna, Austria, with her diplomat parents when she was twelve years old, after her father was named the Japanese ambassador to Austria...
, an internationally acclaimed concert pianist.
Controversy
In March 2011, Cooper came under fire for his support of BahrainBahrain
' , officially the Kingdom of Bahrain , is a small island state near the western shores of the Persian Gulf. It is ruled by the Al Khalifa royal family. The population in 2010 stood at 1,214,705, including 235,108 non-nationals. Formerly an emirate, Bahrain was declared a kingdom in 2002.Bahrain is...
i government crackdowns against protesters, waving off suggestions of police violence and saying "accidents happen." His comments came a week after a video surfaced showing a Bahraini police convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
performing drive-by shooting
Drive-by shooting
A drive-by shooting is a form of hit-and-run tactic, a personal attack carried out by an individual or individuals from a moving or momentarily stopped vehicle without use of headlights to avoid being noticed. It often results in bystanders being shot instead of, or as well as, the intended target...
s against unarmed protesters.
Honours and distinctions
Following the State Visit to Japan by Queen Elizabeth IIElizabeth II of the United Kingdom
Elizabeth II is the constitutional monarch of 16 sovereign states known as the Commonwealth realms: the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Jamaica, Barbados, the Bahamas, Grenada, Papua New Guinea, the Solomon Islands, Tuvalu, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Belize,...
, he was made a Member of the Royal Victorian Order
Royal Victorian Order
The Royal Victorian Order is a dynastic order of knighthood and a house order of chivalry recognising distinguished personal service to the order's Sovereign, the reigning monarch of the Commonwealth realms, any members of her family, or any of her viceroys...
(5th Class). He has subsequently been awarded a CMG
Order of St Michael and St George
The Most Distinguished Order of Saint Michael and Saint George is an order of chivalry founded on 28 April 1818 by George, Prince Regent, later George IV of the United Kingdom, while he was acting as Prince Regent for his father, George III....
.
In 2004, Cooper was awarded the Orwell Prize
Orwell Prize
The Orwell Prize used to be regarded as the pre-eminent British prize for political writing.Three prizes are awarded each year: one for a book, one for journalism and another for blogging...
for The Breaking of Nations.
In November, 2005, he was listed among the top 100 in Prospect
Prospect (magazine)
Prospect is a monthly British general interest magazine, specialising in politics and current affairs. Frequent topics include British, European, and US politics, social issues, art, literature, cinema, science, the media, history, philosophy, and psychology...
magazine's Global Intellectuals Poll
The 2005 Global Intellectuals Poll
The Top 100 Public Intellectuals Poll was conducted in November 2005 and June 2008 by Prospect Magazine and Foreign Policy on the basis of responding readers' ballot...
.
Philosophy
Cooper is best-known for his exposition of the doctrine of "new liberal imperialism", as expressed in his The Post-Modern State (2002). This contains such ideas as the designation of countries as "Failed StatesFailed state
The term failed state is often used by political commentators and journalists to describe a state perceived as having failed at some of the basic conditions and responsibilities of a sovereign government...
", "Modern states" and "Postmodern
Postmodernism
Postmodernism is a philosophical movement evolved in reaction to modernism, the tendency in contemporary culture to accept only objective truth and to be inherently suspicious towards a global cultural narrative or meta-narrative. Postmodernist thought is an intentional departure from the...
states", and statements such as "The challenge to the postmodern world is to get used to the idea of double standards
Double standard
A double standard is the unjust application of different sets of principles for similar situations. The concept implies that a single set of principles encompassing all situations is the desirable ideal. The term has been used in print since at least 1895...
". His world-view is said to have been influential in the political thinking of Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
as well as the development of European Security and Defence Policy
European Security and Defence Policy
The Common Security and Defence Policy , formerly known as the European Security and Defence Policy , is a major element of the Common Foreign and Security Policy of the European Union and is the domain of EU policy covering defence and military aspects...
.
Publications
His publications, apart from a number of articles in Prospect and elsewhere, include:- The Post-Modern State and the World Order (Demos, 2000). Full Text (pdf)
- The Post-Modern State, in Mark Leonard (ed.) Re-Ordering the World: The long-term implications of September 11 (Foreign Policy Centre: London, 2002) Observer Special Report Full text (pdf)
- The Breaking of Nations: Order and Chaos in the Twenty-First Century (Atlantic Press, 2003), ISBN 0771022662.
External links
- 2003 interview in the Daily Telegraph
- Robert Cooper, working hard for the EU, 2005 interview with Cafe Babel
- The new liberal imperialism, Robert Cooper in the Guardian
- Robert Cooper on the assets and shortfalls of EU crisis response capacity and the need for a unified political strategy
- Saudi News Today Bahrain's Interior Minister Meets Robert Cooper, 20 March 2011.
- euobserver, Robert Cooper defends Bahrain Crackdown
- Guardian, Robert Cooper in the Guardian "Accidents happen"