The Diplomat: What is a COBRA?

Warning: spoilers ahead for The Diplomat Season 2, Episode 1, ‘When a Stranger Calls’.Netflix The Diplomat is filled with political terminology that passes by so quickly that it can be easy to miss, and the Season 2 premiere includes one of those terms without ever describing it in detail. With The Diplomat With the cast of season 2 being a mix of British and American characters – among other nationalities – various buzzwords from each country involved can refer to complex political processes. In The Diplomat Season 2, Episode 1, ‘When a Stranger Calls’, Rory Kinnear’s British Prime Minister, Nicol Trowbridge, calls a meeting known as COBRA – which is a very specific type of meeting.

The return of the political drama comes immediately after The Diplomat end of season 1. The show’s second run continues to use London as its main setting and as such Prominent British politicians like Trowbridge continue to use official words and phrases that may go over the heads of the American public – and even part of the British audience. While most of these moments are relatively easy to understand from context, The Diplomat The second season begins with Kinnear’s character calling out “a SNAKE,” but the meeting is only shown and not properly explained.

What COBRA means and what it does

Prime Minister Nicol Trowbridge calls UK government to emergency meeting

The name COBRA is a misnomer, as the acronym includes a letter that technically does not belong to that name. The Cabinet Meeting Rooms are where relevant government bodies meet in London in response to a crisis in the UK or for events abroad that may have important implications for the country. As such, the location for such meetings is often abbreviated from Cabinet Office Brief Rooms to COBR, and the meeting itself is commonly called COBRA due to the venue’s acronym being one letter short of the wordand because it’s faster to say.

Not all COBRAs are the same in terms of who meets, but they are often attended by key UK government officials. Although the meeting itself is often chaired by the Prime Minister, other senior members of parliament may fill this role. The nature of the incident for which the meeting is called then tends to dictate who else will be present to discuss and help resolve the crisis. Relevant representatives, such as those from the police, may also be present – ​​and not just politicians. COBRA meetings have been held for incidents such as the September 11, 2001 attacksand the COVID-19 pandemic.

Why the Prime Minister asks for a COBRA on the diplomat

The bombing at the end of The Diplomat season 1 triggered the season 2 reunion

Nicol Trowbridge calls in a COBRA in “When a Stranger Calls” in response to the Notting Hill bombing in The DiplomatThe Season 1 finale that killed Conservative MP Meritt Grove, injured Stuart, and eventually killed Ronnie. Trowbridge can be seen becoming increasingly agitated in the Season 1 premiere over the fact that those he summoned to his office to look into the incident failed to show up. Following Mrs. Trowbridge’s advice: “If you want them all, call a COBRA“, the Prime Minister does so, opening The Diplomat Season 2 with a big political meeting.