The RSIS Distinguished Public Lecture by Dr Marty Natalegawa, Distinguished Visiting Fellow of RSIS and Former Minister for Foreign Affairs, Indonesia, took place on 11 June 2024. Titled “Promoting Amity: Diplomacy and Dialogue as Statecrafts in a Fragmented World”, the lecture was moderated by Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, Executive Deputy Chairman of RSIS.
Evidence of a fragmented world abound. Deepening and widening geopolitical competitions risk open military conflicts and are being felt beyond traditional political security domains, stifling the prospect for cooperation on global commons issues. The promise of multilateralism is being extinguished by unilateralist tendencies, driven by geopolitical dynamics as well as increasingly inward-looking foreign policies. Inclusive regional architectures are being tested by competing visions that may deepen divides. Not least of all, diplomacy and dialogue as statecrafts to deal with inter-state disputes and intra-state conflicts are facing severe headwinds. Recourse to diplomacy and dialogue are portrayed as signs of weakness and appeasement, of conferring legitimacy to the position or the status of the opposing side. In Southeast Asia, the situation in the South China Sea and Myanmar once again tests the region’s common resolve. Yet, Southeast Asia has instances of disputes and differences managed through diplomacy and dialogue. What conditions allow for diplomacy and dialogue to find traction? For the spirit of amity to prevail once again?
Watch the Distinguished Public Lecture here:
