Sir Tony Brenton served for over thirty years with the British Foreign Service, including postings in the Middle East, the European Union and Washington DC. He was a lead UK negotiator on such problems as global climate change and international energy and human rights issues. He served as British Ambassador to Russia 2004-8. He has authored two books; 'The Greening of Machiavelli', on international environmental politics, and 'Historically Inevitable? Turning Points of the Russian Revolution'. On retirement from the Foreign Service he has become a Fellow of Wolfson College Cambridge and commentates regularly on international affairs issues.