Arms race threatens diplomacy, says former British diplomat

Tom Fletcher CMG, former British Ambassador to Lebanon

Abu Dhabi - Fletcher noted that nations were also becoming weaker and being overtaken by big private organisations.

Nations indulging in arms race and supporting the military while under-funding peacemakers is among the biggest challenges of diplomacy, according to a former British diplomat.
Tom Fletcher CMG, visiting professor at New York University and former British Ambassador to Lebanon, said many countries were spending a lot of money on equipping the military and ignoring the importance of peacemakers.
"We need peacemakers and diplomats much as we need soldiers. Unfortunately, many nations don't allocate enough financial resources to diplomats or peacemakers and this is a big challenge to diplomatic missions," Fletcher told Khaleej Times on the sidelines of the Future Diplomats PeaceGame conference in Abu Dhabi on Thursday.
The two-day conference, which was organised by the Emirates Diplomatic Academy in collaboration with the Foreign Policy Group and Harvard University's Belfer Centre for Science and International Affairs, with the generous support of the UAE's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, aimed at offering chance to address the challenges of diplomacy and peace building with the same creativity and focus as has been traditionally devoted to war games.
Fletcher noted that nations were also becoming weaker and being overtaken by big private organisations.
"Big organisations like the United Nations and others which were formed after 1945 to promote peace and unity among nations are also becoming weaker as they are being criticised by leaders of powerful nations," he said.
"Social media also threatens peacekeeping as it makes people more sceptical about diplomacy."
Highlighting the impact of the PeaceGame, Bernardino León, director-general of the Emirates Diplomatic Academy, said: "At the academy, we understand the importance of strengthening and refining the skills of future diplomats, not only in terms of academic education, but also the skills of applying classroom lessons to practical situations.
"And through this prestigious programme that we are proudly co-hosting, we have brought together our distinguished students with their peers from the world's most prestigious institutions and experts from all over the world, to engage, interact and learn from one another and explore innovative ways to resolve conflicts."
He added: "Diplomacy is about how to reach an agreement. The capacity to negotiate and reach to a peaceful agreement is what defines a good diplomat and this is what brings peace and unity."
Twenty-eight exceptional trainee diplomats and students of international affairs were selected from 24 of the world's leading diplomatic training institutions in 21 countries to participate in the Future Diplomats PeaceGame.

UAE keen on promoting peace