THE FOREIGN MINISTER AT SOAS UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

Fred Mitchell, Foreign Minister of The Bahamas, spoke at the School of Oriental and African Studies of the University of London on Wednesday 11 March 2026. He said this in part:

“I had to think long and hard before I came here to speak tonight about whether in the circumstances of today’s international politics, it would be a wise thing to come and anything at all. Would I be putting my citizens and colleagues at risk by my coming here and saying any word or phrase that could be extrapolated to mean something more than it is or was intended to be? That is a new experience for me.

This is an academic setting and theoretically one should be able to speak freely and posit the impossible but in this world where each word, phrase and sound is instantly analyzed and two and two become five instantly, discretion is very much the better part of valour. However, we have an obligation to speak because it is an attempt to build bridges with believers of the gospel of multilateralism. It is in fact the only practical way to conduct business across borders and further it carries with it the ethics of good behavior for all actors who stick by the rules.”