Author’s Note: Welcome back to our series on Diplomacy as we introduce our third episode. This marks the halfway point of the season so let us know how you’ve enjoyed it so far!
“It’s not a relic of the Cold War… Nuclear threats have evolved rather than disappeared”
The threat of nuclear war created a zeitgeist during a Cold War that could be felt across music, culture, and politics. Today, nuclear threats seem to be back on the table but without the same existential impact on a new generation entering politics.
Our guest this week leads us through the experiences of a younger generation of diplomats and policymakers.
Britt Flanderijn grew up in the Netherlands but moved to the UK to study international relations at the University of Bath before taking on a Master’s at LSE. Since then, she has worked as a research assistant at the House of Lords and undertook a traineeship with the EU’s delegation to the UN in Vienna.
Our conversation took us from her initial interest in politics before exploring what it was like working in the House of Lords. This then proved to be a helpful comparison for her time working with the EU in Vienna.
Here, her work focused on the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) and our conversation turned to discuss the role of nuclear energy and arms in the modern day.
We ended our discussion looking to what a younger generation needs to know about diplomacy, and what a younger generation might bring to diplomacy.
Be sure to listen to the episode here and follow Britt’s work here!