Sir Andrew Green was a professional diplomat for 35 years. He studied Natural Sciences and Economics at Cambridge before taking a three-year Short Service Commission in the Royal Green Jackets.
On joining the Diplomatic Service in 1965, he studied Arabic in Lebanon. Thereafter, he spent half his career in the Middle East where he served in six posts. The remainder of his service was divided between London, Paris, and Washington. He was Ambassador in Syria (1991-1994) and then Director for the Middle East in the Foreign Office before serving for four and a half years as Ambassador in Saudi Arabia. He retired in June 2000. He has since devoted his time to voluntary work.
In late 2001, he founded Migrationwatch UK, an entirely independent organization that accepts no funds from the government but relies entirely on donations from the public. Its purpose is to set out the facts in a comprehensible form so that the political system can respond.