The world has seen vast geopolitical changes over the past few years, and it is fair to say that post-Cold War politics are gone. There are major conflicts happening around the globe in Ukraine, the Middle East, and beyond; and world alliances have seen major changes, including the expansion of NATO.  Science is changing too: science and technology (S&T) are at the center of several global challenges, from climate change to emerging technologies, and in some cases driving competition between countries rather than improving relations. Global leaders must be ready to face new and evolving challenges. 

National strategies can be an effective tool to define vision and direction for navigating these changing geopolitical and scientific environments proactively instead of reactively. For instance, in 2018, Panama adopted a Panamanian National Science, Technology, and Innovation Diplomacy Strategy, while the European Commission has been working to develop a European framework for science diplomacy. Further, there have been calls for more countries to follow suit. In the U.S., Robert Hormats, the former U.S. Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment has suggested the U.S. develop a science and diplomacy national strategy. In Canada, Habib Massoud, a retired Canadian Foreign Service officer, pressed for a Canadian science diplomacy strategy and warned that the lack of strategy could lead to fractured science diplomacy efforts, a lack of coordination across the government, and put Canada at a disadvantage. 

In the case of the U.S., where AAAS is headquartered, the U.S. Goldwater-Nichols Act of 1986 mandated that the executive branch outline a vision for national security and plans for achieving it. In 2022, the CHIPS and Science Act mandated that the U.S. Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) develop a national science and technology strategy. Now, to meet this moment—in which geopolitics, science, and foreign policy are increasingly interwoven with national security and economic interests—the United States needs a U.S. National Science Diplomacy Strategy.

Science diplomacy is not new: Benjamin Franklin (1706–1790) is considered by many to be the first U.S. science diplomat, and the Royal Society of London appointed its first foreign secretary in 1723. To outline a framework for such work, in 2010, AAAS and the Royal Society published New Frontiers in Science Diplomacy, detailing three pillars of science diplomacy: science in diplomacy, diplomacy for science, and science for diplomacy. These three pillars could provide the structure for a national science diplomacy strategy.

The science in diplomacy pillar refers to informing foreign policy objectives with scientific advice. For this part, the strategy should detail how the U.S. government will advance its scientific expertise and how that expertise informs foreign policy objectives. As Secretary of State Antony Blinken laid out in his 2021 address on modernizing America’s diplomacy, the need for scientific expertise in diplomacy has grown as the number of scientific topics critical to U.S. national security has increased. In the speech, Secretary Blinken announced a new bureau for cyberspace and digital policy and a new special envoy for critical and emerging technology. The U.S. National Science Diplomacy strategy should outline how those new bureaus and offices will work with the rest of the State Department, including the Office of the Science and Technology Advisor (STAS), which coordinates key tools like the AAAS Science & Technology Policy Fellowships and the Jefferson Science Fellowships- programs that bring in S&T expertise to the State Department. Further, the strategy should establish necessary new initiatives, including re-creating an S&T specialization area for foreign service officers and establishing a Science and Technology Advisory Board, both called for in a resolution to promote science diplomacy introduced by U.S. Representative Bill Foster (D-IL) earlier this year.

The diplomacy for science pillar refers to diplomatic efforts to achieve international cooperation. The strategy should detail international scientific engagements that are in the national interest and lay out policies and procedures to achieve them. This would include tools such as bilateral science and technology agreements and bilateral or multilateral initiatives with other federal agencies, like the Artemis Accords. Additionally, the strategy should outline how the U.S. government might use economic diplomacy, including foreign assistance and economic sanctions, or modifications to its visa policies. To be clear, science diplomacy is not the same as international science cooperation. The U.S. National Science Diplomacy Strategy should be focused on international scientific activities that specifically affect U.S. bilateral relations, are in the U.S. national interests, and advance broad U.S. diplomatic objectives. 

The science for diplomacy pillar refers to international engagement through science to develop, sustain, or enhance relations between countries. The strategy should examine how science could be effectively used as a mechanism to engage with countries, especially those with which the United States would like to maintain or improve its relationship. This includes working with partners such as nongovernmental organizations who may maintain relationships with the United States even when official relations become tense. For instance, AAAS has worked to build connections between the American and Cuban scientific communities since the 1990s. The U.S. National Science Diplomacy Strategy should build on such unofficial efforts to advance official objectives.

Along with detailing objectives within each of the three pillars of science diplomacy, the strategy should describe how the U.S. Government plans to work with the private sector. The State Department has worked with the private sector to develop many initiatives, such as the Clean Energy Demand Initiative Secretariat, which is focused on accelerating the deployment of clean energy in global energy markets. Since the private sector in the U.S. funds a majority of research and development (R&D) and has a significant footprint in international affairs, the U.S. National Science Diplomacy Strategy should outline how it will work with the private sector in advancement of its science diplomatic goals and objectives.

Finally, since the strategy covers broad policies related to science and technology, as well as economic growth and economic diplomacy, the strategy should be developed and implemented at the level of the Under Secretary for Economic Growth, Energy and Environment at the U.S. Department of State, and detail how the strategy will maintain American leadership and harness the power of its S&T leadership.

The science and foreign policy sectors are entering a new era. Clarity is needed on how national governments will navigate this moment, including their plans for the role of science in diplomatic efforts. The above is a brief outline for developing a U.S. National Science Diplomacy Strategy. However, national science diplomacy strategies with a clear vision, goals, and actions would be a significant contribution for countries across the globe, including Canada.

1. https://www.consulatgeneraldepanamamarseille.com/ministry-of-foreign-affairs-launches-strategy-for-scientific-technological-and-innovative-diplomacy/
2. https://research-and-innovation.ec.europa.eu/strategy/strategy-2020-2024/europe-world/international-cooperation/science-diplomacy_en#developing-a-european-framework-for-science-diplomacy
3. https://www.sciencediplomacy.org/perspective/2022/scientific-preeminence-american-domestic-and-diplomatic-priority
4. https://policyoptions.irpp.org/magazines/july-2024/strategic-scientific-diplomacy/
5. www.aaas.org/sites/default/files/New_Frontiers.pdf
6. www.state.gov/secretary-antony-j-blinken-on-the-modernization-of-american-diplomacy
7. www.aaas.org/programs/science-technology-policy-fellowships
8. https://jsf.nationalacademies.org
9. https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-resolution/1108
10. www.state.gov/artemis-accords
11. www.aaas.org/news/aaas-and-cuban-academy-sciences-brainstorm-us-cuba-shared-challenges-and-opportunities-aging
12. National Science Board, National Science Foundation, Science and Engineering Indicators 2024: The State of U.S. Science and Engineering, Alexandria, Virginia, 2024, https://ncses.nsf.gov/pubs/nsb20243.