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On the eve of the MCC Budapest Peace Forum, the latest Budapest Lecture also focused on the possibilities of peace. How can diplomacy rebuild trust once it has been broken? This and many other intriguing questions were answered by George Beebe, Director of Grand Strategy at the Quincy Institute, and advisor to former US Vice President Dick Cheney, in conversation with Rajmund Kiss, Head of the MCC Center for Diplomacy.
The discussion stressed that since the dawn of inter-state relations, the peaceful resolution of conflicts has been one of the primary goals of diplomacy and that in many cases, disagreements, and ambiguous behavior may easily lead to a deterioration in the relationship between states.
As George Beebe noted, the West's reaction to the war was both to enable the Ukrainians to defend themselves and to isolate Russia both economically and diplomatically. The success of the Ukrainian defense was a surprise to everyone, but the sanctions on Russia failed.
The expert also spoke about ways to address diplomatic issues in the conflict resolution process, as well as how to rebuild trust and return to diplomacy.
