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Ocean Deep or Sky High Diplomacy? The Lessons Space Diplomacy Can Learn from Ocean Diplomacy

Flyer of the event
Friday, September 23, 2022
12:00 pm - 1:15 pm
Dr. Clare Fieseler, Justice Sandra Day O’Connor Fellow, Smithsonian Institution & Dr. Alex Kahl, Natural Resources Manager and Advisor, National Marine Fisheries Service

For centuries, human maritime activities have driven cultural, social, and economic contacts and exchanges between various regions of the planet, driving the development of diplomatic exchanges and cooperation between peoples the world over. This indispensable role of the oceans has continued to drive diplomatic engagement over the past century, as landmark multilateral accords such as the United Nations' Convention on the Law of the Sea, and science-based ocean diplomacy have aided the development of international agreements, with impacts on methods of cooperation across many other areas of contemporary diplomacy.

One area that can benefit from the lessons-learned over decades of evidence-based ocean diplomacy, is the emerging field of space diplomacy. The increasing focus by diplomats on the interplay between the space domain and terrestrial economic, security, and geopolitical issues should include an exploration of how the diplomatic community can benefit from models already tested and deployed within the ocean diplomacy and policy framework. Ultimately, such an approach should underpin anticipatory diplomatic models that will enable a safe and sustainable future in low earth orbit and beyond stemming from the "space renaissance" of the current decade.

Please join the Rethinking Diplomacy Program (RDP) - Space Diplomacy Lab at Duke University on Friday September 23, 2022 at 12pm (ET) for a timely webinar event focused on the lessons that the burgeoning field of space diplomacy can learn from the multilateral science policy approach taken through ocean diplomacy mechanisms. For this discussion, the Space Diplomacy Lab team is delighted to welcome ocean diplomacy and policy experts, Duke alumna Dr. Clare Fieseler, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor Fellow at the Smithsonian Institution and Dr. Alex Kahl, Natural Resources Manager and Advisor at the National Marine Fisheries Service. The event will be hosted by Dr. Benjamin L. Schmitt and Dr. Giovanni Zanalda, Co-chairs of the Rethinking Diplomacy Program-Space Diplomacy Lab.

Contact: Rohini Thakkar