Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah said diplomats now have to share the international stage with many more actors, including civil society organizations. [...] In his speech titled “Transfor­mation for 21st Century Diplomats”, the Sultan said long-established and reputable cause-and-issue oriented international NGOs make invaluable contributions to alleviating human suffering.

The problem with “America First” is that it describes an attitude, not a purpose. It substitutes selfishness for realism. It implies that nations can go it alone, that we stand for nothing beyond our immediate self-interest, and that we should give little thought to how the rest of humanity thinks or lives. It suggests that if we are strong enough, we can prosper no matter how much chaos, disorder or injustice surrounds us. America First leads to the diplomacy of narcissism. And narcissism is as unhealthy for nations as it is for people.

In some respects the editorial direction of China’s international media reporting can be seen as an extension of the nation’s diplomacy. While the first principal of diplomacy is that it is the pursuit of national interests, one of the foundations of successfully diplomacy is promoting common interests. 

The Former Chancellor Lord Lawson has spoken out against plans to tie future governments to spending commitments on foreign aid. The Tory grandee said proposals to make all future administrations ‘gold plate’ Britain’s annual foreign aid budget would not help people in poor countries, the Express reports.