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 editor, writing about foreign and security issues since 2005. He is Polish, but grew up in the UK, and lives in Brussels. He has also written for The Guardian, The Times of London, and Intelligence Online.