What is the Future of Diplomacy?

Are pixellated images of leaders in tiny squares on a computer screen the 'new normal' for international diplomacy? What are the implications of the loss of physicality in diplomacy? And what does this portend for international relations in the post-Covid world?

As with all facets of life, COVID-19 brought the world of international diplomacy to a halt, forcing diplomats and heads of government to quickly overhaul how they do their work. Forced to move their interactions online, an institution that is fundamentally about bringing people together was acutely weakened by the need for social distancing. Most significantly, this severely undermined the ability of the G20 to address the twin crises of the pandemic and the global economic crisis it ushered in, reducing the summit of the world's most powerful leaders to being little more than an extended Zoom call.

Meet our speaker

Tristen Naylor (@TristenNaylor) is a Fellow in International Relations at LSE. His most recent book, Social Closure and International Society, examines the history of international summits over the past two hundred years. Previously, he was the Lecturer in Diplomatic Studies at the University of Oxford and, before joining academia, was a Foreign Policy Analyst and Advisor to the Government of Canada. He is a recipient of the Canadian Public Service Award of Excellence.

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More about this event

This event is part of the 'Festival Shorts' series. Festival Shorts are 10-minute talks by LSE experts released during Festival week, available to watch via the LSE Festival Hub.

The is running from Monday 1 to Saturday 6 March 2021, with a series of events exploring the direction the world could and should be taking after the crisis and how social science research can shape it.

Twitter hashtags for this event: #LSEFestival #LSECOVID19

LSE holds a wide range of events, covering many of the most controversial issues of the day, and speakers at our events may express views that cause offence. The views expressed by speakers at LSE events do not reflect the position or views of The London School of Economics and Political Science.

From time to time there are changes to event details so we strongly recommend that if you plan to watch this event you check back on this listing on the day of release.

LSE holds a wide range of events, covering many of the most controversial issues of the day, and speakers at our events may express views that cause offence. The views expressed by speakers at LSE events do not reflect the position or views of the London School of Economics and Political Science.