In the 21st century, diplomats will have to change from being mere observers and reporters to assuming the role of actors who take positive decisions, according to Ambassador Marc Grossman, former Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs and Senior Diplomacy Fellow, Future of Diplomacy Project, Belfer Center, at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Ambassador Grossman’s comments were made at a roundtable discussion held at the Dubai School of Government (DSG). The event was titled “The Future of Diplomacy” - a topic that the former US ambassador is researching for a book that he is set to author in the near future.
The talk at DSG came as part of Ambassador Grossman’s visit to Dubai, where he also interacted with students in DSG’s Master of Public Administration program. In his interaction over a two-day period, he shared his valuable insights and conducted a simulation role-play exercise to communicate the dynamics of the diplomatic process.
Describing the dynamic context and challenging environment in which modern-day diplomats function, Ambassador Grossman said: “Diplomats today have to work across different fields. They require scientific training to understand issues related to energy and the environment; they need media training, as well as an understanding of public diplomacy, and are expected to function alongside private sector entities such as corporations, NGOs and the media, among others.”
During the interactive roundtable session, which was attended by about 30 representatives from a variety of federal and local organizations, Ambassador Grossman identified the need for a structure of “preclusion,” whereby diplomatic policy needs to pre-empt the risks of terrorism and extremism while charting out strategy to have in place an infrastructure for conflict prevention.
Pointing out the need to recognize the connection between pluralism and development, he asserted that the ability to use new media and social networking tools as part of the diplomatic framework, and the capacity to leverage diplomacy at an “individual level,” is bound to have a significant impact on the future of diplomacy.
Finally, Ambassador Grossman questioned the archaic “legacy” structure of diplomacy, which treats each problem in seclusion and depends heavily on a hierarchical structure to address it. He concluded by stating that all civilian departments needed to have power and growth capacities proportional to the nation’s military powers for a diplomatic strategy to succeed in the future.
Dr. Tarik Yousef, Dean of the Dubai School of Government, said: “In recent years, throughout the world we have seen the increasing need for improved diplomatic skills not only among the traditional professional diplomats, but also among a variety of governmental and non-governmental organizations who interact with other nations and represent their country internationally in some capacity. We are grateful to Ambassador Grossman for spending time to sharpen the awareness of young policy makers and leaders from the UAE regarding the future of the art of diplomacy.”
Ambassador Marc Grossman is an internationally-renowned authority on the future of diplomacy, and currently a public policy scholar in-residence at the Woodrow Wilson Center for International Scholars at Harvard University. He served as US Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs, the State Department's third-ranking official, from 2001 to 2005. He also served as Assistant Secretary of State for European Affairs from 1997 to 1999, and as Ambassador to Turkey. In 2000, he was named Director-General of the US Foreign Service. Grossman attained the Foreign Service's highest rank when then-President George W. Bush appointed him to the rank of career ambassador in 2004.
Established in 2005 in cooperation with the Harvard Kennedy School, the Dubai School of Government is committed to the creation of knowledge and the dissemination of global best practices in the Arab world. The institution conducts various programmes that seek to enhance the region’s capacity for effective public policies.
