Chat & Chowder | Accidental Diplomat

Join us for this installment of our popular Chat & Chowder series, featuring former British Foreign Service Officer, Paul Knott. Mr. Knott will discuss his improbable career and tell us many of his exciting stories from his time in the Foreign Service, from being posted in post-revolutionary Romania, to being abducted by hospitality terrorists in Dubai, to meeting his wife in the then police-state of Uzbekistan, along with many more fascinating stories and insights. Whether you are an avid watcher of international news or interested in becoming a diplomat yourself, this event is for you!

Chat & Chowder programs are an excellent opportunity to engage with expert speakers and to network with other globally-oriented participants in an informal environment. Each event features a presentation, audience Q&A, dedicated time for networking, and (of course!) a selection of chowders and beverages.

Thanks to the generous support of The Lowell Institute, Chat & Chowder is now free of charge for all participants (Zoom live-streams remain free as well). We sincerely appreciate The Lowell Institute’s commitment to our mission, as well as the support of our venue, Foley & Lardner LLP.

Please consider helping sustain this work by making a contribution here.

This program will be streamed to Zoom from 6:15 to 7:15. To attend the program virtually, please register for the Zoom webinar here.

Advance registration is required. We cannot accommodate walk-ins for the in-person program.

Disclaimer: WorldBoston is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, non-advocacy, educational organization dedicated to fostering civil discourse on international affairs. Our speakers' opinions are their own and do not necessarily reflect the views of WorldBoston, our affiliates, or our community.

Paul Knott is former dockworker turned diplomat, now journalist and international political analyst. His diplomatic postings included Romania, the United Arab Emirates, Belgium, Uzbekistan, Ukraine, and Russia. After leaving the Foreign Office lived a quieter life on a Swiss hillside, enlivened by raising a large family with his wife, Mwana, and writing for numerous well-known outlets such as "The Daily Mirror" and "The New European." He is a frequent expert commentator on BBC Radio, particularly regarding Russia and Ukraine. He also occasionally writes, somewhat less expertly but equally enthusiastically, on sports and music. Paul recently moved to Boston and is loving life here in this great city.

Part political intrigue, part comedic travelogue, The Accidental Diplomat is an incident-packed memoir that "achieves the rare combination of being instructive and funny" (according to former British Home Secretary Alan Johnson). Its author, Paul Knott, is an ordinary Northern English lad who began his working life in a hut on the docks of his blue-collar hometown, Hull, before making an improbable career switch to Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service. Tied up in a series of significant world events during two decades spent globetrotting on official duties, his story offers an illuminating insight into the most discreet of the UK’s great offices of state, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. It blends the political with the personal to paint a vivid picture of the exciting and often absurd life of a Crown emissary.

Limited copies will be available at the event. Please consider purchasing a copy online beforehand.

WorldBoston's Chat & Chowder series features key authors on international affairs in an engaging setting. In addition to discussion of a featured book (usually sold at a significant discount), the program offers the opportunity for discussion among members and guests - and of course a selection of chowders and beverages. This Chat & Chowder will be hosted in-person (from 6:00 to 7:30PM ET) and live-streamed to Zoom (from 6:15 to 7:15 PM ET only).