Science Diplomacy

This chapter examines the evolving landscape of science diplomacy, tracing the shift from the optimistic framework of 2010 to the more contested realities of 2025, marked by great power competition, technological acceleration, and the securitisation of research. Drawing on perspectives from leading practitioners, it explores four interconnected themes: building trust infrastructure that enables security without isolation; reclaiming scientific influence in fragmented information ecosystems; repositioning the Global South from aid dependency to economic agency through science and innovation; and adopting an instrumentalist view of science diplomacy as a tool requiring strategic, clear-eyed deployment. The analysis highlights the growing role of private technology corporations as diplomatic actors, the need for anticipatory governance of emerging technologies, and the imperative of youth engagement for long-term institutional renewal. Rather than advocating a return to earlier idealism, the chapter advances a pragmatic agenda grounded in equity, adaptive institutional design, and sustained engagement across political differences.