Peace and Conflict Diplomacy in a Turbulent World

The practice of peace and conflict diplomacy — or the activities that states, international organizations and civil society employ to make peace and manage conflict — is increasingly challenged. The emergence of China and resurgence of Russia have shifted the rules of the game, creating competition over accepted international norms such as respect for human rights, state sovereignty and principled international engagement. Meanwhile, transnational threats such as the proliferation of violent extremism, cyberwarfare and climate-induced mass migration have introduced conflicts far different from those diplomats have encountered in the past.

These forces — together with growing waves of populism and Western isolationism after a series of failed foreign interventions — have eroded faith in the efficacy of diplomatic engagement and broken down the consensus on the merits of peace and conflict diplomacy. Can peace and conflict diplomacy survive in this discordant international environment?

A newly released edited volume, “Diplomacy and the Future of World Order,” offers answers to this question. Featuring essays from 19 scholars, the book explores the prospects for discord or collaboration around major security issues and considers how emerging strains of diplomacy may provide the foundation for global peacemaking and conflict management in an uncertain future.

USIP hosted a conversation with the book’s leading authors on the project’s findings and its implications for the practice of peace and conflict diplomacy. Panelists debated how to adapt our diplomatic strategies to shape a more effective, agile and inclusive system of international cooperation, as well as considered how to make room for diverse voices — including regional organizations and civil society — while maintaining a sense of unity and common purpose.

Speakers:

Lise Grande

President and CEO, U.S. Institute of Peace

Pamela Aall

Senior Advisor for Conflict Prevention and Management, U.S. Institute of Peace

Ambassador Barbara Bodine

Director of the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy and Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy, Georgetown University

Dr. Chester Crocker

James R. Schlesinger Professor of Strategic Studies, Georgetown University

Dr. Solomon Dersso

Chairperson, African Commission on Human and People's Rights

Ambassador Jean-Marie Guéhenno

Distinguished Fellow of Foreign Policy, Brookings Institution

Dr. See Seng Tan

Professor of International Relations, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies

Ambassador George Moose, moderator

Vice Chair, Board of Directors, U.S. Institute of Peace

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The United States Institute of Peace is a national, nonpartisan, independent institute, founded by Congress and dedicated to the proposition that a world without violent conflict is possible, practical, and essential for U.S. and global security. In conflict zones abroad, the Institute works with local partners to prevent, mitigate, and resolve violent conflict. To reduce future crises and the need for costly interventions, USIP works with governments and civil societies to help their countries solve their own problems peacefully. The Institute provides expertise, training, analysis, and support to those who are working to build a more peaceful, inclusive world.