Whether it is the legal service of the Quai d'Orsay in France, that of Her Majesty's foreign office in the UK, or that of the German foreign office, all government legal services recognise the need to maintain credibility.
In any opinions they provide to government, they understand they have to effectively address contrary arguments and understand the economic and political context in which they are asked for their input.
Andrew Rettman is EUobserver's Foreign Affairs Editor. He has been writing about foreign and security affairs for EUobserver since 2005. He is Polish but grew up in the UK. He has also written for The Guardian, The Telegraph, and The Times of London.