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Ian Proud
Published June 29, 2026Ian Proud on Diplomacy, Geopolitics and Battling PTSD
Over 24 years, British diplomat Ian Proud became one of the most accomplished crisis experts in the Foreign Office, dealing with global emergencies like the Bali Bombing, Salisbury poisonings and 911.
He talks openly about the Post Traumatic Stress Disorder he suffered as Head of the Political Section in Thailand after being one of the first on the scene of the Boxing Day Tsunami and how he believes his PTSD was caused by feeling abandoned by the British Government.
Ian’s new book, Searching, is a fictional love story set in the aftermath of the 2004 tsunami – cathartic and emotional to write. Ian hosts The Peacemonger podcast which examines foreign affairs and geopolitical issues, and the need to get back to diplomacy.
