Recycling Diplomats

Eduardo del Buey
Foto: Afp
La Jornada Maya

Martes 16 de abril, 2019

As the world marches forward, a good number of leaders, politicians and voters appear intent to march it back to a past that exists only in their imaginations.

Many leaders and politicians seek to employ political dog whistles and lies to appeal to the negative emotions and fears of voters rather than to their aspirations.

How do diplomats deal with national leaders who go against the flow of history, make things up as they go along, and divide rather than unite? How do they deal with outdated concepts of national sovereignty in a world that is completely interdependent and requires leadership with a holistic global vision?

In the 19th and early 20th centuries diplomacy was the exclusive purview of national governments – each trying to exert its influence and defend its interests unilaterally. They formed alliances when necessary, but never gave up any national sovereignty.

The challenges posed today by migration and refugee movements, climate change, and globalization and its impact on economies everywhere can best be addressed by a multilateral approach, since no one country can address these challenges on its own.

Since the latter half of the 20th century, civil society has played a major role in international relations. Non-governmental organizations have created new alliances that transcend national boundaries. Artists, academics, industrialists, investors and special interest groups all exert influence beyond their borders and interact with each other across national boundaries – often with little or no participation by their governments.

Such relationships are at the core of 21st century diplomacy, and will only continue to expand and deepen as technology brings us all in closer contact.

Whether by choice or result, governments will have to accept that globalization is here to stay, and with regards to trans-border issues that affect humanity, govern in such a way that nationalistic “zero-sum games” can become “win-win” situations for all. They must balance their concerns for their citizens with a concern for humanity, since pandemics, climate change, and refugee migrations affect us all and must be dealt with multilaterally.

To succeed, they must meld national governance with an attempt to reform international institutions such as the United Nations, regional diplomatic organizations and specialized agencies so that they can function in a positive and holistic way to act as a counterbalance to the way in which many national governments behave.

Weakening multilateral organizations only serves to deprive humanity of the very forums in which global challenges can be addressed. No multilateral organization is perfect. They depend on the consensus of their members, and these are usually focused almost exclusively on narrow parochial interests rather than in the interests of all of humanity. This dependency on consensus should not, however, be used as an excuse for not getting things done, but rather as a motivator to work harder to seek common ground.

Governments will have to see globalization as a challenge to their management of education, social welfare and employment and provide viable policies and programs to ensure future growth.

Where does this leave 21st century diplomats, who are expected to deliver the policies that their governments mandate?

Active diplomats are and will continue to be constrained. That is the nature of diplomacy – suppressing one’s own opinions in favor of those of the government and its leaders.

But retired diplomats aren’t bound by these constraints. They are free to be effective opinion makers and transmit messages that deal with the world of tomorrow rather than yesterday’s realities. They can oppose policies and governments that go against their principles, and do so publicly.

Indeed, many former diplomats are consulted by media and academe when international crises break out.

These, however, are one-time occurrences.

There is no reason why retired diplomats cannot create international networks to provide more in-depth and constant analysis of and commentary on international affairs.

Recently, I, along with five former Mexican diplomats, participated at a conference organized by La Jornada Maya that asked a simple question: What is Diplomacy Good For?

We agreed that, in essence, diplomacy is about communication between peoples

The 21st century provides us all with the technology and ability to communicate directly in real time. This is a challenge as well as an opportunity – a challenge because it permits the truth and lies to inhabit the same source and an opportunity because it frees us from the chains of isolation and brings us together in ways that would have been impossible only a decade ago.

We all laid out our vision of the world, where it is and where it should be going. The conference attracted a good audience as well as media coverage. It was uploaded to the web, and I am using it to teach my international relations students about diplomacy and the role that they as future diplomats can play in shaping the future.

Some retired diplomats write for newspapers and journals, others participate as pundits on television and radio opinion programs, and others teach.

They have informal networks of influencers around the world with whom they can share ideas and develop policy proposals, and access to media that can carry their views to audiences.

Retired diplomats can take an active role along with civil society to provide non-governmental organizations and the private sector with the wherewithal and expertise with which to implement new policies that can take humanity into a better future.

Retired diplomats have many years of experience in sharing information with the media and civil society, dealing with the media, and supporting cultural and academic initiatives and events that can influence voters. They can join active and retired professional journalists in fighting the current tendency of many leaders to dismiss “fake news” with facts and positive policy proposals that liberal democratic leaders can shape into attractive political platforms.

Just as retired major democratic world leaders have “The Elders” (an association of retired leaders who concentrate on supporting good governance), retired diplomats around the world should form networks across national boundaries that can contribute to a local, regional, and global dialogue that can produce a more informed electorate.

And, so, should retired journalists and academics.

While active journalists are often constrained by the editorial policies of their media organizations, retired journalists can continue to use their local, national, and international networks to support and sustain serious journalism, and provide the insights voters require to make informed choices.

Retired academics often write about the major issues facing us all. Universities should find ways to organize their retired academics to continue informing society through on-line, printed, and broadcast publications and public events. Universities are where the past is analyzed and the future is debated. They are well placed to lead dialogues on key issues that political leaders and voters can translate into forward-looking policies.

Successful 21st century diplomacy depends on combining technology with the abilities and experience of those who want to support the youth of today as they grow into the leaders and citizens of tomorrow.

An international virtual “think-tank” composed of retired diplomats, journalists, and academics could create the kind of international dialogue that could lead to new ideas and solutions to contemporary diplomatic challenges. These could start out as local initiatives and grow as local, national, and regional networks connect on-line and share their analyses and views. These networks could, in turn, be available to active foreign policy practitioners thus creating a global dialogue free from government intervention.

Here in Merida, Mexico, a small group of retired Mexican diplomats along with this retired Canadian diplomat are collaborating to bring a new dialogue to university students and the general public in order to provide them with the tools to analyze foreign policy, understand how it affects their daily lives, and show them how they can contribute to the dialogue.

We are teaching at local universities in order to bring practical experience to the world of abstract theory.

We are also setting up conferences at different universities to: a) bring a better appreciation of working diplomacy in the real world to better prepare international relations students and b) create links with the media to help them improve coverage of international affairs and create a more informed readership.

Networking across national and professional boundaries can create valuable synergies around the world.

It all starts at the local level.

And it all begins with small groups of retired academics, diplomats, and journalists working together for a common cause.

Retired professionals can join together through these networks and share their wisdom and experience either directly or digitally.

This is the best legacy that we can leave for future generations.

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