Diplomacy is vital to America. The American Revolution would likely have been lost without the diplomacy that brought critical French support. While the military fights war, with rare exceptions, it is diplomacy that must end them and pick up the pieces. And diplomacy is increasingly confronted with challenges that neither force nor any single nation can resolve: transnational crime, climate change, and the expanding issues of cybercrime and disinformation. To consider how diplomacy has changed, and not changed, in the 250 years of American history, the Ambassador’s Forum will bring together a distinguished panel of diplomatic practitioners.

This is a vast subject.  The Ambassadors Forum will highlight key areas to bring greater clarity to the discussion.

Introduction: The panel will mainly focus on change, but many responsibilities of the diplomat are unchanging, from protecting American citizens to promoting business. Academy President Ambassador Ronald Neumann will sketch out the continuing nature of diplomacy that lies behind the new world of technological and transnational challenges.

Control and Delegation: The negotiations that ended the American Revolution occurred almost without supervision. Modern negotiations see envoys on cell phones and being buffeted constantly by news from everywhere. With presidents calling the shots, what role remains for the diplomats? What has changed in style as well as substance? Ambassador (ret.) James Jeffrey will reflect on this.

Technology and Diplomacy: Technology both enables diplomacy and threatens it. What are the new technological frontiers where diplomacy plays a vital role (e.g., space, AI, climate, energy)? What are the new challenges from technology (e.g., cyber-attacks, AI, disinformation)? What part can diplomacy play in safeguarding the nation from these threats, whether in negotiations for international standards or bilaterally with friends and enemies? What role does military coordination play in the diplomacy of the future? Mr. Anthony (Bud) Rock will deal with the lining of diplomacy with this world to the future,

Diplomacy’s Next Generation: Where will the next generation of diplomats come from? What skills will they need? How different will they need to be from our current diplomats? In particular, what training and education must they bring with them or be given to prepare them for the tasks ahead? This discussion will be the task of Ambassador (ret.) Marcia Bernicat.