An ISA Convention to Remember: Amazing Insights and Connections in San Francisco

I returned from the 65th Convention of the International Studies Association that took place a few weeks ago in San Francisco. Participating in the convention gets better every time you do it. From my very anxious first-time attendance in Nashville in 2021 to the 2024 convention, it feels like light years of difference! So, it is worth considering attending constantly to get the most out of every convention. 
 
So, in San Francisco, even though I am a practitioner in a sea of academics, I did not feel uncomfortable as in previous experiences. In several panels, some welcomed the participation of practitioners.
 
Choosing which panels to attend was extremely difficult, as there were many great offerings. However, I want to highlight “Public Diplomacy in Other Words” and " Tech Diplomacy: Challenges and Opportunities.” 
 
Public Diplomacy in Other Words
 
The first one was organized by Kadir Jun Ayhan, a professor at Ewha Womans University and editor-in-chief of the Journal of Public Diplomacy. In a conscious effort to promote different perspectives from the Anglo-speaking world that dominates the literature on Public Diplomacy, Kadir led an effort to review articles published in various languages. 
 
Those who attended the session were fortunate to hear an analysis of public diplomacy articles published in Chinese, French, Russian, Turkish, and Indonesian. Luckily for those who could not participate in the session, the Journal of Public Diplomacy will publish a special edition with additional languages. So, make sure you look for it in the summer.
 
Looking into the production of articles about the topic in other languages is an excellent idea for anybody interested in public diplomacy. There is a greater need for diversity of perspectives. 
 
The effort faced a significant challenge because the term in some languages has different meanings, so they had to agree to focus on the term Public Diplomacy. Besides, in many instances, country brand and soft power are used interchangeably with public diplomacy, thus complicating the analysis. 
 
Tech Diplomacy: Challenges and Opportunities
 
The second panel, titled “Tech Diplomacy: Challenges and Opportunities,” had most of the panelists coming from UK universities, which was quite interesting for the different perspectives of US-based scholars. The panel showcased how much the term Tech Diplomacy has changed since Denmark designated the first Tech Ambassador in 2017. Check out my previous posts: digital-diplomacy-40-tech-diplomacy.html and why-denmark-sent-a-tech-ambassador-to-silicon-valley.html
 
The hype AI has caused, together with different efforts to regulate machine learning and the ever-growing concentration of power by tech companies, has changed the whole environment of tech diplomacy today. 
 
There was a meaningful discussion about how MFAs and other ministries deal with the issue. In some instances, they have established new departments and designs. It highlighted the existing divide between cyber and tech diplomacies and the competition these areas now have inside and outside the ministries. In most countries of the Global South, there are no known Tech Ambassadors or Tech Envoys except for Brazil, the great diplomat Eugenio V. Garcia. 
 
One of the reasons why I attended that panel was that Prof. Andre Barrinha from the University of Bath was the panel's co-chair.  He recently wrote a magnificent article titled “Cyber-diplomacy: The Emergence of Transient Field” (it is open access). 
 
In the article, in a succinct but exquisite way, Prof. Barrinha explains how some policies, such as cyber security, become part of the realm of diplomats. It is an excellent explanation of how actors engage in diplomatic functions without officially being diplomats. Diplomatization is the keyword here. I encourage to read it to everybody interested in understanding how certain topics and actors turn into a diplomatic world. 
 
Conventions are like the Oscars, where you can find all the film stars you love in one place. The difference is that most well-known academics are more approachable and always open to conversation.
 
The number of international participants was encouraging. Still, it was deplorable to see that some fantastic panels, such as “Passport Inequality: Research and Conference Travel Challenges for Global South Scholars” and the one on women in academia, did not have a quorum. I am sure other ways exist to get the word out on these critical topics.
 
To everybody´s delight, there was an array of psychedelic carpets to look at on the different floors, towers, and hotels where the convention was held. The free coffee at the exhibition´s coffee breaks was one of the best I had at a convention! Congratulations to the sponsors who gave us the necessary caffeine to withstand the whirlwind of activities. 
 
I am always optimistic, but the situation on the streets of San Francisco makes me wonder how, in one of the wealthiest metropolitan areas of the world, a few miles from the extraordinarily powerful and wealthy tech industry, the government and the people cannot find a solution for all the persons who are on the street fighting additions and homelessness. What will the future bring if this happens in San Francisco? Let´s think about the people in Gaza, Ukraine, Afghanistan, and other nations that have been left behind and nearly forgotten. The ply of the people of San Francisco calls for us to find a solution to the inequality problem in the world. Humanity cannot truly advance if people are hungry, homeless, and fighting all sorts of issues. 
 
Seeing more scholars from Mexico and other Latin American countries attending was encouraging. I was delighted to meet and talk with many great scholars from Latin America and Spain.
 
I hope to see you all in Chicago in 2025. 

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