An ambassador represents interests — but never without discipline.
We know how valuable they are to us, to society and to the world. We love how the state ones take care of us in the world every day.
Civil society is all too happy to complain on social media about the representation of ministers and ambassadors.
We observe this in our science and research. As representatives of civil society, we are deeply concerned about such accusations and the limited understanding of how the world really works.
It is the same reason why you should never allow yourself to be underestimated again: the price of ignorance and the illusion of understanding.
May we allow ourselves to pop your bubble of glitter a bit?
The meaning of a Wiener Melange is understood differently in civil society than it is in the Austrian Foreign Ministry.
Believe us, there is no misunderstanding when Hannah asks, ‘May I have a Wiener Melange, please?’
For you, it’s just a cup of coffee. For them, asking for it can avert European crises as part of pioneering teamwork.