Science and Diplomacy: Canada's Lost Decade

Daryl Copeland, a public diplomacy scholar and Senior Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, recently published a new report. The paper “Science and Diplomacy after Canada’s Lost Decade: Counting the Costs, Looking Beyond” appeared in November 2015 on the website of the Canadian Global Affairs Institute. The piece examines the role of science diplomacy as a “critical tool in responding to the vexing range of challenges generated by the globalization age,” and unpacks the relationship between science, technology and international relations. Specifically, Copeland notes the role of science diplomacy in strengthening relationships, facilitating international collaborations and building capacity to address complex global issues. Acknowledging Canada’s “ten year war on science” and its “tarnished reputation” as an international player, Copeland offers a series of recommendations for Canada to restore, reestablish and revitalize its national science policy. He concludes with the observation that “after a prolonged period of inactivity, Canada is once again positioned to seize opportunities for global leadership and diplomatic initiative….and science diplomacy in particular should figure centrally in all such calculations.”

The full report is available here.

To read Copeland's most recent contribution to the CPD Blog and to see an archive of his posts, click here.

Photo by The Open University | CC BY-NC-ND 2.0