London, UK - 20 July 2007, 12:22 GMT

Dear ATCA Colleagues

[Please note that the views presented by individual contributors are not necessarily representative of the views of ATCA, which is neutral. ATCA conducts collective Socratic dialogue on global opportunities and threats.]

We are grateful to:

Given the recent diplomatic row between Russia and the United Kingdom, we are grateful to The Lord Howell of Guildford from The Palace of Westminster for his submission to ATCA, "Dealing with Russia and USA in the context of the Middle East, China and India: Is British diplomacy off the leash as a poodle turns into a bulldog?"

The Right Honourable Lord (David) Howell of Guildford, President of the British Institute of Energy Economics, is a former Secretary of State for Energy and for Transport in the UK Government and an economist and journalist. Lord Howell is Deputy Leader of the Opposition in the House of Lords and Conservative Spokesman on Foreign Affairs. He writes:

Dear DK and Colleagues

Re: Dealing with Russia and USA in the context of the Middle East, China and India -- Is British diplomacy off the leash as a poodle turns into a bulldog?

Well, that's two important friends upset -- and all in the first few weeks of Gordon Brown's premiership. Moscow is seething at London's "immoral act" of chucking out four of their diplomats (read intelligence officers) in entirely justified retaliation for their refusal to hand over the number one suspect in the ugly murder of Alexander Litvinenko.

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Let us hope that our charted course through the rough global seas is now being quietly and skilfully altered.

Best wishes

David Howell

The Lord Howell of Guildford also Chairs the Windsor Energy Group. Until 2002 he was Chairman of the UK-Japan 21st Century Group, (the high level bilateral forum between leading UK and Japanese politicians, industrialists and academics), which was first set up by Margaret Thatcher and Yasuhiro Nakasone in 1984. In addition he writes a fortnightly column for The JAPAN TIMES in Tokyo, and has done so since 1985. He also writes regularly for the International Herald Tribune. David Howell was the Chairman of the House of Commons Select Committee on Foreign Affairs, 1987-97. He was Chairman of the House of Lords European Sub-Committee on Common Foreign and Security Policy from 1999-2000. In 2001 he was awarded the Grand Cordon of the Order of the Sacred Treasure (Japan). His latest book, 'Out of the Energy Labyrinth' has been described as 'a serious and thoughtful attempt to grapple with the complexities of the energy challenge and foreign policy', by James R Schlesinger, and as 'a terrific book, not least because of its topicality' by Sir Simon Jenkins.