The Boundaries of Reason: The Diplomat’s Work in New Realities. An Expert Discussion
On April 21, the Valdai Club hosted a discussion titled “The Boundaries of Reason: The Diplomat’s Work in New Realities.” As geopolitical tensions escalate across multiple fronts, the very role and efficacy of diplomacy in today’s world have come into question. The post-Cold War era saw the decline of traditional diplomacy – where mutual compromise and pragmatic interest-balancing prevailed – and the rise of an ideological approach that divides nations into those on the “right side of history” and the rest. In this framework, diplomatic engagement often means little more than pressuring others to accept preordained positions, while dialogue itself is frequently severed on ideological grounds. Such trends undermine the essence of diplomacy as a tool for conflict resolution. Moreover, today’s world has grown increasingly complex, with interconnected political, economic, and security challenges making it ever harder to establish a stable equilibrium of interests. At the same time, socio-political shifts have elevated the role of strong leaders in global diplomacy, marking a return to an era where high-stakes negotiations were primarily the domain of sovereign rulers. Yet even as diplomacy remains indispensable, can it still address today’s most pressing crises? How do the diplomatic approaches of the West differ from those of the Global Majority? What must change for diplomacy to regain its effectiveness? And how must diplomats adapt to these new realities? Speakers: Rashid Alimov, Professor at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan and at the Taihe Institute (China), Doctor of Political Sciences, SCO Secretary-General (2016–2018) Sergey Krylov, Professor of the Department of Diplomacy at MGIMO, Soviet and Russian diplomat, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in 1993-1996 Asoke Kumar Mukerji, Distinguished Fellow of the Vivekananda International Foundation (India) Tsogtbaatar Damdin, Member of the Mongolian Parliament; Head of the Mongolian Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (Mongolia) Moderator: Anton Bespalov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club
On April 21, the Valdai Club hosted a discussion titled “The Boundaries of Reason: The Diplomat’s Work in New Realities.” As geopolitical tensions escalate across multiple fronts, the very role and efficacy of diplomacy in today’s world have come into question. The post-Cold War era saw the decline of traditional diplomacy – where mutual compromise and pragmatic interest-balancing prevailed – and the rise of an ideological approach that divides nations into those on the “right side of history” and the rest. In this framework, diplomatic engagement often means little more than pressuring others to accept preordained positions, while dialogue itself is frequently severed on ideological grounds. Such trends undermine the essence of diplomacy as a tool for conflict resolution. Moreover, today’s world has grown increasingly complex, with interconnected political, economic, and security challenges making it ever harder to establish a stable equilibrium of interests. At the same time, socio-political shifts have elevated the role of strong leaders in global diplomacy, marking a return to an era where high-stakes negotiations were primarily the domain of sovereign rulers. Yet even as diplomacy remains indispensable, can it still address today’s most pressing crises? How do the diplomatic approaches of the West differ from those of the Global Majority? What must change for diplomacy to regain its effectiveness? And how must diplomats adapt to these new realities? Speakers: Rashid Alimov, Professor at the Academy of Public Administration under the President of the Republic of Tajikistan and at the Taihe Institute (China), Doctor of Political Sciences, SCO Secretary-General (2016–2018) Sergey Krylov, Professor of the Department of Diplomacy at MGIMO, Soviet and Russian diplomat, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation in 1993-1996 Asoke Kumar Mukerji, Distinguished Fellow of the Vivekananda International Foundation (India) Tsogtbaatar Damdin, Member of the Mongolian Parliament; Head of the Mongolian Delegation to the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (Mongolia) Moderator: Anton Bespalov, Programme Director of the Valdai Discussion Club