Q&A: Nigel Sheinwald, British ambassador to U.S.

Q: How have you found Princeton so far? What’s your impression of campus?

A: One of the “jewels in the crown” of the British relationship with America is our relationship in higher education and research, so it’s an important job for me as the British ambassador to link up with America’s leading universities. So that’s what I do just as part of my core work, going around the country. My first visit to Princeton, I’ve been extraordinarily impressed by everyone I’ve met here, particularly, I suppose, by the depth of study in the Woodrow Wilson School, which is where I’ve been mostly based. But I’ve met the president, who I’ve met before; of course she’s been involved in U.K./U.S. projects on education cooperation. I’ve met the dean of the Wilson School. I spoke here at an event organized by the Wilson School and the Liechtenstein Institute at lunchtime, and I’ve been wandering around the campus meeting people. And there are a couple of British academics that I’m going to be meeting.

Q: As part of your time on campus, you met on Thursday with President Shirley Tilghman and Wilson School dean Christina Paxson. What did you talk about in your meeting with them and what issues did you hope to address?

A: What I really talked about is the way in which I, as the ambassador, and our consulate general based in New York, which has the responsibility for New Jersey, the way we can help Princeton advance its higher education and its cooperative relationship with the U.K. If ever we can help expand the institutional links that you need for both undergraduate and postgraduate study and for research links between faculty — we’re available to do that. We can help with informal advice for those trying for scholarships to the U.K., particularly the Marshall Scholarships which are grants from the British government, but we’re also keen to continue to expand the number of Rhodes scholars, Gates scholars, Churchill scholars coming to British universities. And we can help with practical problems like visa problems for students and others wanting to come to the U.K. But more generally my aim is to hang on to this very close relationship academically between the U.K. and U.S. that plays directly into the research base of the two countries. And what we’re trying to work toward are not only these bilateral links but also working together to expand our links with China, India, the developing world and the Middle East, which is obviously where the huge future for educational opportunities lies. That was the main thing I discussed with President Tilghman.

Q: You also spoke on Thursday on the subject of “The Emerging World Order: What it Means for Britain and America.” Could you elaborate on this topic?

A: What I would say it was really in two parts. First of all, defining some aspects of the current events and developments in the Middle East: A few of those are the unpredictability and the uncertainty we will face dealing with this. Secondly, the fact that the media have played an important role and we need to understand social media and the role of Al-Jazeera in this crisis. Thirdly, the fact that this crisis is about these countries, about the people of these countries. It’s not really about us. There’s been no ideological basis for the protests. It’s been mostly about bread and butter issues, about economic opportunities, their control of their lives and the ability to influence their lives politically.

And there are some lessons for foreign policy. First of all, about the importance of values in foreign policy. Secondly, the important role of multinational institutions in foreign policy. And thirdly, the importance of traditional alliances, and this is something where NATO is playing an important role and where the U.K. and the U.S. are again working together with France and a number of others to secure our shared objectives. The NATO alliance is matched by a high degree of economic interdependence between North America and Europe. And so far at least our relationship — the trans-Atlantic relationship — politically and economically remains of huge relevance to America and to ourselves in many ways, as we are all looking for new relations with China and India and other countries, the trans-Atlantic alliance remains a key building block in international relations in the decades ahead and we mustn’t write it off prematurely.

Q: Why was Princeton selected as a destination in your efforts to address these issues?

A: It’s one of the top universities in the world, so it chooses itself. On this trip, this is the only university I’ve visited, but as I go around the country I always try to include visits to universities to expand our links. Also, I always enjoy meeting students and faculty and taking part in the policy debate in universities. That’s one of the things universities are best at.

Q: How do universities hold potential for change?

A: Well, in a number of ways. First of all, obviously, because students are the voters and opinion-formers of the future and it’s important for a country like mine that wants to have an impact on the American debate to do so not just with people in power today but with the next generation of people who are participating in economic and political life. Obviously, you have faculty here who play a part in your country’s public discourse. So it’s very, very important to interact with them. The best ideas often come directly out of universities. And the fact is that universities are breeding grounds for members of administrations, Congress and so on. So it’s natural that it should be a place for interaction.

Q: How do you think this trip will aid in encouraging international exchange? More broadly, how do you feel universities on either side of the Atlantic can act as foundations for such change?

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A: Well, we’re working on that; we have an organization called the British Council that is our primary cultural relations organization active globally. They have an ambitious program active in America. One of the things they’re doing is working with university presidents and others in the higher education sector in this country and linking up with people in the U.K. President Tilghman has been involved with this over the years to try to do what I just talked about — to cement the U.S./U.K. links and develop them and push them out to the emerging powerhouses in the world in Asia, the Middle East and Africa. And that’s what I hope we’ll be able to encourage at Princeton and the other American universities. I hope we’ll keep the flow of students, and scholarship students, going in both directions and I hope one net result of this visit will be a greater ability of British practitioners, whether they’re diplomats, experts in climate science or experts in international economic policy, to come to Princeton and be available to talk to students and faculty about issues in their areas of competence.

Q: How does your experience at Princeton compare to your days as a student at Balliol College at Oxford University?

A: I feel much older to begin with, and that’s the main thing to say. What a long time it seems! No, I mean, I think if you look at a university like this, of course there are parts of it which remind you of some classic Oxford or English college. But the overall feel is very, very American. The scale of it, the resources you have available are remarkable. It makes me feel most of all the desire to return as a student maybe because it’s a very fertile and very well-endowed environment.