Newswise — MEDFORD/SOMERVILLE, Mass. (May 17, 2018)–Arriving at a critical time in global governance and foreign affairs, the Science Diplomacy Center at The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University capped its first year working to bridge the gap between policymakers and the scientific community as a way to contribute to informed decision-making across borders.
Now, during a period of unprecedented tension among countries experiencing geopolitical conflict, including the United States and Russia, the Science Diplomacy Center is expanding its operations. The Center aims to establish formal dialogues between science advisors from governments across the globe and train the next generation of diplomats to use science as a common language, including natural and social sciences, as well as indigenous knowledge.
The Center operates on the premise that science can improve the quality of policy decisions and can also serve as a link between nations when diplomatic relationships are strained. Even in times of tension and conflict, political adversaries can, and do, meet on the neutral ground of scientific cooperation to solve problems and to find areas where national and common interests intersect. Existing examples of this, which were first established during the Cold War, include the International Space Station, and more recently, the Agreement on Enhancing International Arctic Scientific Cooperation, where the U.S. and Russia, among other nations, found common ground even in the midst of hostility.
Since its founding last year, the Science Diplomacy Center has:
- Co-convened two International Dialogues on Science and Technology Advice to Foreign Ministries, bringing together senior diplomats from 18 nations, including Oman, New Zealand, Japan, Senegal, Poland, and the United Kingdom;
- In partnership with the Woods Hole Research Center, mapped ship movement in the Arctic, noting that the center of shipping activity has moved even closer to the North Pole, as referenced in a recent NASA publication;
- Established international and interdisciplinary courses in science diplomacy between The Fletcher School and the Moscow State Institute of International Relations in Russia;
- Created the new Science Diplomacy Thematic Network within the University of the Arctic, a 190-member strong institution dedicated to maintaining the Arctic as a viable and peaceful region of international cooperation;
- Published a policy forum in Science titled “The Arctic Science Agreement Propels Science Diplomacy”and co-edited two books on Arctic governance;
- Launched a science diplomacy dissertation enhancement workshop in collaboration with Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Boston-area consulates, training the next generation of scientists and practitioners. The next workshop in the series will take place September 27 and 28, 2018; and
- Hosted the Foreign Minister of Oman with his science and technology advisors at Tufts University.
“We live in a globally-interconnected civilization, with urgencies that are immediate and across generations. More than evidence-based decisions, our world needs informed decision-making,” said Paul Arthur Berkman, director of the Science Diplomacy Center and professor of practice at The Fletcher School. “Science is a tool of diplomacy to build common interests that support informed decisions among allies and adversaries alike. If the methods applied through science could bring the United States and the Soviet Union together in Antarctica and through space ventures during the Cold War, then perhaps it can help bring together Iran or North Korea and the West as well.
“With hope and inspiration, our shared mission involves applying science diplomacy to achieve sustainable development in the interest of all on Earth, across generations.”
To learn more about the Science Diplomacy Center, its mission and future activities, please visit: http://sites.tufts.edu/sciencediplomacy/.
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About The Fletcher School
The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University—the first exclusively graduate school of international affairs in the United States—has prepared the world’s leaders to tackle complex global challenges since 1933. The School’s alumni represent the highest levels of leadership in the world, including hundreds of sitting ambassadors, respected voices from distinguished media outlets and institutions, heads of global non-profit organizations, and executive leadership of some of the world’s largest for-profit companies. The Fletcher School offers a collaborative, flexible, and interdisciplinary approach to the study of international affairs, featuring a distinguished faculty and diverse student body representing more than half the world’s countries.
The Fletcher School awards professional degrees, including a two-year Master of Arts in Law and Diplomacy (MALD); a one-year Master of Arts for mid-career professionals; a one-year, mid-career combined Internet-mediated/residential Global Master of Arts (GMAP); a Ph.D. program; a Master of Arts in International Business (MIB); and a Master of Laws in International Law (LL.M.)—as well as joint degrees, summer school, and certificate programs.
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