Dec 19, 2022
The Diplomatic Pouch, wrapped
As 2022 draws to a close, we’re looking back at the past year in The Diplomatic Pouch. In our weekly articles, we heard from current diplomats, scholars, and graduate students on a wide range of topics, including reflections on the lives of distinguished practitioners, the value of case study teaching, efforts to modernize diplomacy, and analysis of current problems in international affairs. All these efforts contribute to ISD’s mission of bridging the gap between practitioners and scholars of diplomacy. And with that, we leave you with some of our most-read articles this year:
The passing of the diplomatic guard
Madeleine Albright, former U.S. secretary of state and long-time Georgetown University professor, passed away on March 23 at the age of 84. Faculty, staff, and students shared many reflections on her life and public service. We gathered a few of them here.
And lessons for a new one
Antony Blinken, current U.S. secretary of state, delivered the commencement address at Georgetown University’s School of Foreign Service on May 21. He offered lessons from the lives of former Secretaries Madeleine Albright, Colin Powell, and George Shultz. We shared excerpts of Secretary Blinken’s remarks here.
In addition, ISD welcomed a new cohort of four McHenry Fellows from the Class of 2024, a group of SFS graduate students who each demonstrate a strong commitment to global public service. This year’s class comes from the master’s programs in Security Studies, Asian Studies, and Global Human Development. We also caught up with the five fellows in the Class of 2023 to learn about their summer internships at a variety of employers, including the International Organization for Migration, the World Bank, the U.S. Department of State, and Human Rights Watch.
The value of case study teaching
ISD publishes case studies on a wide range of topics covering diplomatic statecraft. We have a library of more than 250 cases to date, each written by an experienced practitioner or scholar. In an article earlier this year, we explained why case instruction matters for classroom learning.
Efforts to modernize diplomacy
Current practitioners continued to share their analysis in our series, “a better diplomacy,” which presents ideas for how to make diplomacy more effective, adaptive, and resilient in the twenty-first century. The authors covered everything from the value of generalists at the State Department, to the need for a diplomatic doctrine, to the effects of technological innovation on diplomatic practice.
Analysis of current problems in international affairs
We brought you articles on European energy security, China’s influence in Central and Eastern Europe, the U.S. role in the South Caucasus, and the recent protests in Iran. We covered the new U.S. atrocity prevention strategy, efforts to end the armed conflict in Ethiopia, and steps to mitigate identity-based conflict. And, last but not least, we shared analysis on sports diplomacy at the World Cup. For all these posts and more, follow our page on Medium here.
Thank you to all our contributors and readers for another strong year. As always, if you have any interest in writing for The Diplomatic Pouch, please do not hesitate to contact us at diplomacy@georgetown.edu.
We wish you a peaceful holiday season, and look forward to seeing you in 2023!
All the best,
Editorial team, The Diplomatic Pouch
