Ian Proud discusses with Ivan six things which should be better known.
Ian Proud is an expert in strategic thinking, politico-economic analysis and diplomatic tradecraft. He was a member of His Majesty’s Diplomatic Service from 1999 to 2023. During that time, he was one of the Foreign Office’s most accomplished crisis experts and was Chair of the Crisis Committee at the British Embassy in Moscow when the Salisbury nerve agent attack happened in March 2018. He posts international relations articles and podcasts from his Substack page, The Peacemonger. His first novel, Searching, is now available.
1. Curiosity –One reason we see so much racism and intolerance is a lack of curiosity in society. So, talk to your colleagues or the person sat next to you on the train or the bus and find out something about them that you didn’t know. As much as anything, it will make the journey less of a drag for you and for them. Learn a foreign language – it’s the best way to get into the culture, history and food of a new country and, in my opinion, it vastly improves your enjoyment of the world around you. But it also promotes greater understanding that we are all different, and that most people just want to live a happy life like we do.
2. Boat 813 – for me the most vivid symbol of the destructive power of the 2004 tsunami is the 60-ton Royal Thai Navy patrol boat that was dragged 2 kilometres inland. I saw it for the first time just a few days after that tragic event beside the road as I drove towards Takua Pa, where bodies of the victims were being collected. What is most remarkable, is that it was carried over tall trees before coming to rest, upright, where it stands today in the 813 Tsunami Memorial Park, Bang Niang. It’s a peaceful place of reflection now. And that whole area is rich with beautiful vacation spots again, from the flat golden beaches of Khao Lak to the beautiful limestone islands that dot Phang Nga Bay.
3. Stink beans – the first time you eat stink beans, or sataw as they are known in Thai, the taste is bitter and overpowering. The second time you eat them you might be addicted, like me. Fried simply with shrimp paste, pad sataw is one of my favourite Thai dishes. It’s a reminder to try different street foods, not just in Thailand but also via the thriving pop-up food culture in Britain. And about the value of second chances.
4. A Town Like Alice – Nevil Shute’s 1950 book explores our human ability to endure terrible suffering and yet survive, potentially find true love and live happily ever after. This is a theme I explore in Searching. In A Town Like Alice, the protagonists are both prisoners of the Japanese in World War II. Joe, the Aussie solider ends up crucified for helping Jean Paget (also from Southampton like me, by the way) and the group of women and children she is with on a forced march. She always wondered whether he survived that terrible ordeal… It is also partially set in Malaya where my parents started their married life 1960. One of my earliest, happiest childhood memories is of watching the 1956 movie with my parents.
5. King Charles Street – the façade of the Foreign Office, directly adjacent to Downing Street, is grand and intimidating, which doesn’t help the perception that British diplomats are out of touch elitists. And yet the vast majority are not. Take me, for example, I come from a working-class family and took my degree through part-time day release in Southampton. You can sometimes visit the Foreign Office during London Open House week each September. I’d encourage you to go and admire its fine rooms. And perhaps talk to some of the staff and realise that they are just regular folk. You can enjoy St James Park after, which features in Searching.
6. Sleep – in a crisis, I can work for forty hours without sleep, although I wouldn’t recommend it. A healthy pattern of sleep is the foundation for our physical and mental wellbeing. Our energy to play with the kids or bring maximum focus to our work. And it’s is often stolen or disrupted by work, anxiety or alcoholism. So, embrace bedtime as a chance to recover and rejuvenate. Lean into the power nap, like me, and my routine of falling asleep on the sofa during Bargain Hunt. But be aware that sleepiness can be our foe when we are really stressed. So, own your sleep and don’t let it own you; if you feel sleepy all the time, it might be a reminder to get up and go out for a walk with family or friends, to recharge your emotional batteries…
Better Known 