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Diplomacy's resurgence: Mitchell warns of return to geopolitics and great power conflict
🇬🇹 Guatemala /Conflict & Security

Diplomacy's resurgence: Mitchell warns of return to geopolitics and great power conflict

From Prensa Libre · () Spanish

Translated from Spanish, summarized and contextualized by DistantNews.

At a glance

Analysis Named sources Context piece
  • Wess Mitchell's work, including his book "Great Power Diplomacy" and a recent Foreign Affairs article, argues for a resurgence of diplomacy's importance in the international system.
  • The post-Cold War era, characterized by a unipolar world and perceived "vacations from history," has ended with a return to geopolitics and spheres of influence.
  • Mitchell warns of increased risks of great power conflict in the current multipolar system, necessitating a renewed focus on diplomacy as a strategic tool, similar to historical precedents like Lord Lansdowne's strategy for Great Britain.

Wess Mitchell, former Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs, posits that diplomacy is regaining its relevance in a rapidly shifting international landscape. His recent writings, including the book "Great Power Diplomacy: The Skill of Statecraft From Attila the Hun to Kissinger" and an article in Foreign Affairs titled "A Grand Strategy of Consolidation," suggest a departure from the post-Cold War era's assumptions.

A Grand Strategy of Consolidation

— Wess MitchellTitle of a recent article by Wess Mitchell discussing international strategy.

Following the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Soviet Union's collapse, many believed in an "end of history," where liberal democracy and market economies would prevail globally. This period saw diplomacy take a backseat as international relations were expected to focus primarily on economic and commercial issues. However, Mitchell argues that this era of a liberal, rules-based world order, largely underpinned by U.S. unipolarity after 1991, has concluded.

The current international system is marked by a return to "might is right" principles, spheres of influence, and geopolitics. Russia's military actions, violating international law and Ukrainian sovereignty, exemplify this shift. Mitchell observes a considerable increase in the risk of conflict between major powers in this new multipolar environment.

vacations from History

— Robert Gates (dixit)A phrase used to describe the period after the Cold War when historical conflicts seemed to have ended.

Consequently, there is a rediscovery of diplomacy's crucial role as an instrument of statecraft. Mitchell draws a parallel to the early 20th century, when British Foreign Secretary Lord Lansdowne, despite Britain's naval supremacy, recognized the nation's limited economic capacity to maintain global dominance. Lansdowne strategically negotiated naval reductions in East Asia and the Western Hemisphere to focus on the growing threat from the German Empire in Europe.

Might is right

— UnknownA principle describing the current international system where power dictates right.

Mitchell suggests that the United States, after the unipolar moment, is similarly unable to expend vast resources on acting as a "world police." The U.S. must now concentrate its efforts on two priority scenarios, implying a more selective and strategic approach to foreign policy, where diplomacy plays a central, rather than peripheral, role.

the risk of war between great powers, in this new multipolar system, has increased considerably.

— Wess MitchellWarning about the heightened dangers in the current global order.
DistantNews Editorial

Originally published by Prensa Libre in Spanish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized by our editorial team with added local perspective. Read our editorial standards.

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