Join LSE IDEAS and CSDS for a timely debate on the future of diplomacy in the contemporary global binary era.

The nature of diplomacy has evolved radically in recent years. Following the Peace of Westphalia, diplomacy was an exercise led almost exclusively by the nation state’s representatives. Its focus was on sovereignty preservation and influence enhancement. In the late nineteenth century, trade and commerce became a legitimate but secondary area for diplomatic activities. New diplomatic actors emerged, including regional organizations and non-state actors. We are now facing a new phase. On the one hand, we see the emergence of a new great power competition with the US and China at the center of an emerging binary contest in which Europe and other players struggle to find an appropriate position. On the other hand, we see the growing influence of the contemporary digital instruments of communication presents a new context in which a new set of diplomatic skills are needed. Can diplomacy manage the emerging global competition? What are the necessary diplomatic skills in the 2020s? How must diplomatic practice adapt to the new global dynamic? Is it possible to reset collective action problem solving multilateral diplomacy given the transnational nature of contemporary global challenges?

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Register here for Day 1.

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