The Decline of Well-read and Well-mannered Politicians

If you happen to be from Slovenia or Slovakia, you would have probably given up tearing your hair out at the frequent displays of ignorance by foreign politicians, event organisers and others who should know better... Indeed, a bear would not have enough hair to tear out in keeping up with the many times the two countries have been mixed up! The litmus test came last year, when, for unrelated reasons, the Prime Ministers of both countries resigned during the same week in March. Confusion over the two countries is not limited to lower rank politicians, however, and includes the likes of George W. Bush and Silvio Berlusconi. Still, there are some things that make ignorance in world affairs and political geography even worse, for instance, when the ignorance is coupled with diplomatic clumsiness. That was the case when Jeremy Hunt, the UK Foreign Secretary, gave a formal speech in Ljubljana yesterday.

Mr. Hunt commended Slovenia's progress from its recent position of a "vassal state" of the Soviet Union to a modern European democracy. Slovenia, as part of Yugoslavia, was never a part of the Soviet Union and was, in fact, a member of the Non-Aligned Movement founded by President Tito himself. Tito had a reputation for standing up to the Soviet leadership and vigorously defended Yugoslavia's independence. Still, not only did the Foreign Secretary get his history wrong, but he insulted his hosts in the process by referring to them as recent vassals. If Hunt were addressing Slovakia, he would have perhaps been closer to the facts, but his statement would have been offensive, nonetheless. The "insult" was soon picked up. The former Speaker of Slovenia's national assembly, Milan Brglez, for instance, criticised  Hunt for "arrogantly lecturing" his country. Basic diplomacy is not "rocket science", as the famous British physicist, Brian Cox, tweeted referring to the gaffe, but as time goes by it seems as though 'diplomacy' may have to replace 'rocket science' as an expression of something beyond the reach of ordinary mortals... and high ranking politicians.