Chapter 15 - A perspective on diplomacy in the Army’s contemporary regional relationship-building

Summary

The world is facing unprecedented challenges, and the need for diplomacy has never been greater. Shaken to its economic and social foundations by the COVID-19 pandemic, the global order is being rewritten by China’s emergence as an assertive and uncompromising power. The challenges to globalisation, the retreat of democracy, the intergenerational impacts of terrorism, population displacement and climate change as well as evolving technologies in cyber and space all pose serious threats to a well-established order. Only through the coordinated use of hard and soft power, including sophisticated diplomacy, can any country effectively tackle these challenges. US President Joe Biden understood this before he took office. He understood that to preserve the United States’ global standing and power – shaken during the years of Donald Trump’s administration – the country had to return to the roots of diplomacy. Biden understood that diplomacy, not force, properly resourced and led by professionals with a unified purpose, had to be the first lever in reshaping the world to the challenges faced today.