'..the talking must happen, the attempts be made to find common ground even on lesser issues if the big ones are intractable. I once met a diplomat who spent much of the 1960s representing Britain at international arms-control talks in Geneva. He argued that, while superficially the interminable meetings were futile, with the Soviets churning out position papers that never seemed to change, the very fact of the meetings helped to avert war.''Earlier this year, the Council on Foreign Relations published an article by its president, Richard Haass, and a senior fellow, Charles Kupchan, arguing for a “global concert of major powers” — the U.S., China, India, Japan, Russia and the European Union — to conduct an ongoing conversation about great issues.
“History makes clear that such periods of tumultuous change come with great peril,” they warn. “Great-power contests over hierarchy and ideology regularly lead to major wars. Averting this outcome requires soberly acknowledging that the Western-led liberal order that emerged after World War II cannot anchor global stability in the 21st century.”
The democracies must hold their noses and parley with some very unpleasant regimes, because these are the only negotiating partners we are going to get. It would be absurd to suppose that any consensus or grand bargains will emerge from such meetings, but there should be a forum for exchange even with the enemy.
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Kennan’s advice about negotiating with foes, notably the Cold War Soviet Union, included: “Don’t act chummy with them”; “Don’t assume a community of aims with them which really does not exist”; “Don’t make fatuous gestures of goodwill.”
Great statesmen and diplomats recognize that even if fulfilment of all one’s hopes and objectives is unattainable, it is essential to talk with a clear preconception of what matters most..
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Compare and contrast this prescription with the reality of most modern democratic leaders, whose idea of strategy is to consider how to get through to Tuesday. Many also suppose that modern instantaneous communications render redundant the role of professional diplomats, who spend years developing a knowledge of a given country or region.
This is dangerous nonsense. Local knowledge, which can only be acquired by intimate experience, is vital to informed decisions. George Kennan, the greatest American diplomat of the 20th century, perhaps of all time, deployed both supreme wisdom and years of experience of Russia before he drafted his so-called Long Telegram from Moscow in 1946, proposing containment of the Soviet Union.
By contrast, Cooper deplores today’s longstanding absence of an American mission in Iran: “Diplomacy is about people and about words: knowing people, knowing what they want, knowing how to persuade them,” which requires “patience, courtesy and calm.”
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..the talking must happen, the attempts be made to find common ground even on lesser issues if the big ones are intractable. I once met a diplomat who spent much of the 1960s representing Britain at international arms-control talks in Geneva. He argued that, while superficially the interminable meetings were futile, with the Soviets churning out position papers that never seemed to change, the very fact of the meetings helped to avert war.'
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With Trump Gone, Diplomacy Is No Longer a Dirty Word, May 30, 2021
Context(2021-2030) - EU Action Plan: “Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil”(Peace) - '..Sadly, my generation had to relearn the lessons of Vietnam in Iraq and Afghanistan .. to do everything in our power to avoid more wars..'(Peace) - 'Substantial economic improvements are linked to improvements in peace.'Harris .. infrastructure .. [& global security]'This is why China experts assert that the CCP does operate here in Britain, often under the natural cover of business. "The Party machine is everywhere", says one, adding: "For China, business is inseparable from politics." ''..the U.S. should encourage Iran and its Arab neighbors to use 2021 for confidence-building measures..'Russia in 2021: As Climate Crisis Rages, Scientists Fear the Worst Is Yet to Come(Climate Change) - '..Crop yields from Texas north to Nebraska could fall by up to 90 percent by as soon as 2040..'(Ethics) - '..fighting corruption, defending against authoritarianism, and advancing human rights .. strengthening .. our middle class. .. It is past time to end the forever wars .. zero emissions by 2050 .. liberty.' - Biden(Banking Reform - English/Dutch) '..a truly stable financial and monetary system for the twenty-first century..'In The Electric Universe a Future of Peace and Love(Haptopraxeology - Electric Universe - Teal - Bazaarmodel) - Educating for Wisdom and Compassion: Creating Conditions for Timeless LearningAffective Introspection