The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard Kennedy School announced the launch of the Program on Diplomacy and Statecraft, a new initiative founded by Ambassador Nicholas Burns, who recently returned to Harvard after serving as the U.S. Ambassador to China.
The Program is dedicated to advancing the practice and study of diplomacy and negotiation. At a time of great power competition, an unstable world order, and global challenges from climate change to tariff wars, it will prepare the next generation of diplomats to meet the challenges ahead.
Distinguished by its unparalleled access to some of the world’s most senior decision-makers, the program will engage practitioners whose firsthand experience offers Harvard students and faculty unique insights.
The Core Workstreams of the Program on Diplomacy and Statecraft include:
- The American Secretaries of State Project, a one-of-a kind initiative capturing insights from all living former U.S. Secretaries of State since Henry Kissinger. Explore the initiative to date.
- The U.S.–China Relations and Strategic Competition in the Indo-Pacific Project, which features speakers, fellows, and an annual conference on the U.S.-China relationship.
- The Fisher Family Fellowship Program, co-hosted by Belfer Center Director Professor Meghan L. O’Sullivan, which will host distinguished presidents, prime ministers, foreign ministers, and other senior diplomats at Harvard.
- The Future of U.S. Diplomacy Project, which will develop practical recommendations to strengthen and modernize the U.S. diplomatic corps.
- The Cultural Diplomacy Project, which explores the importance of music, art, sports, and cultural heritage on modern diplomacy.
- The Ready to Serve Series, which will prepare students to excel in the craft of foreign policy and develop into the next generation of leaders in diplomacy.
The initiative will be a part of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, a research Center housed at Harvard Kennedy School that addresses world’s most consequential challenges at the intersection of science, technology, and international affairs. Bringing together scholars, practitioners, and students, the Belfer Center delivers cutting-edge research and forward-looking policy solutions. Benefiting from Harvard University’s dynamic academic community and broad range of perspectives, the Belfer Center bridges the gap between scholarship and real-world solutions while empowering the next generation of leaders to tackle complex global challenges.
Learn more at belfercenter.org/program-diplomacy-and-statecraft.