Malcolm Rivera
Multi-track diplomacy is a concept developed by Louise Diamond and John W. McDonald, co-founders of the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy. It is a way of viewing international peacemaking as a living system, with a web of interconnected activities, individuals, institutions, and communities working together for a common goal of a world at peace. Multi-track diplomacy expands on the traditional view of diplomacy as solely official government negotiations by incorporating various participants, from academics to policymakers to non-state actors. This approach recognises the complexity of modern conflicts and aims to address their underlying causes by utilising all levels of society to determine needs and facilitate communication.
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What You'll Learn
Multi-track diplomacy is a living system
Track One Diplomacy, or traditional diplomacy, refers to official government-to-government interactions and negotiations between nations. However, the increasing complexity of global challenges has highlighted the need for a broader approach that involves multiple stakeholders. This realization led to the development of multi-track diplomacy, which incorporates a diverse range of tracks or channels to facilitate conflict resolution and peacebuilding.
Ambassador John McDonald and Dr. Louise Diamond, co-founders of the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy, played a pivotal role in expanding the concept. They recognized that a binary classification of track-two activities did not capture the full spectrum of unofficial diplomacy. As a result, they coined the phrase "multi-track diplomacy" to encompass all aspects of mediation, from grassroots efforts by private citizens to high-level meetings of state leaders. The multi-track system currently consists of nine tracks, each contributing uniquely to the overall goal of international cooperation and conflict resolution.
These nine tracks include:
- Conflict resolution professionals: This track involves experts and practitioners in the field of conflict resolution, who facilitate negotiations, dialogue, and understanding between conflicting parties.
- Business: The business community has a role in promoting economic diplomacy, fostering economic cooperation, and providing resources for peacebuilding initiatives.
- Private citizens: Recognizing that peacebuilding starts at the grassroots level, this track engages ordinary people in peace efforts, encouraging them to use private means to resolve conflicts and promote understanding.
- The media: The media plays a crucial role in shaping public opinion and disseminating information. This track leverages various communication channels, including print, film, video, radio, and electronic systems, to influence societal attitudes and promote peace.
- Religion: Religious organizations and leaders can contribute to peacebuilding by appealing to shared values, promoting forgiveness, and facilitating reconciliation between conflicting groups.
- Activism: Activists and civil society organizations work to advance specific causes, challenge injustices, and hold governments and institutions accountable, often advocating for peace and social justice.
- Research, training, and education: This track focuses on knowledge generation, capacity building, and educating the next generation about peace, conflict resolution, and global citizenship.
- Philanthropy: Philanthropic organizations and individuals provide financial support for peacebuilding initiatives, often through grants, donations, and impact investing.
- Communications and the media: This track recognizes the power of communication in integrating society and facilitating peacemaking through information exchange.
By embracing a living systems approach, multi-track diplomacy offers a dynamic and flexible framework for addressing complex conflicts. It acknowledges the interconnectedness of various actors and activities, allowing for a more holistic and comprehensive approach to international peacemaking.
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Multi-track diplomacy expands on Track One and Two
Multi-track diplomacy is a conceptual framework for international peacemaking. It expands on the traditional view of diplomacy, which typically involves two governments negotiating an official agreement. This traditional view is often referred to as Track One diplomacy.
Track One Diplomacy is official government diplomacy, where communication and interaction occur between governments. However, the limitations of this rationalistic approach to peacemaking have been associated with the relative failures of the post-Cold War era. Instead of stability, chaos and anarchy have often prevailed in the contemporary international system.
Track Two Diplomacy, on the other hand, refers to the unofficial, non-governmental actions of non-state actors. This includes conflict resolution professionals, businesses, private citizens, and the media. It provides unofficial spaces and flexible settings to test ideas, shape relationships, and improve communication and understanding between citizens. Examples include scientific and cultural exchanges, workshops, and conversations.
Multi-track diplomacy was developed by Louise Diamond and John W. McDonald, the co-founders of the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy. They expanded the two original tracks to nine separate tracks in 1991. The additional tracks include religion, activism, research, training and education, and philanthropy.
The multi-track approach recognises the different levels of conflict that need to be addressed and the overall construction of complementarity. It incorporates all aspects of mediation, from the ground-level work of private citizens to the top-level meetings of state heads. This approach is particularly valuable in resolving local disputes, as seen in Northern Ireland and Somaliland.
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Multi-track diplomacy incorporates all levels of society
Multi-track diplomacy is a conceptual way to view the process of international peacemaking as a living system. It is an expansion of the traditional view of diplomacy, which typically involves two governments negotiating an official agreement. This traditional form of diplomacy is often referred to as Track One or Track 1 diplomacy.
Track One Diplomacy is official government diplomacy, where communication and interaction occur between governments. However, the multi-track system was developed due to the inefficiency of pure government mediation in resolving intrastate conflicts and securing international cooperation.
Multi-track diplomacy recognises that peacemaking involves a web of interconnected activities, individuals, institutions, and communities working together for a common goal of achieving and maintaining peace. It incorporates all levels of society, from the ground-level work of private citizens to top-level meetings of state heads. This inclusive approach ensures that the needs of all segments of society are considered and facilitates communication between different levels.
The concept of multi-track diplomacy was developed and put into practice by Louise Diamond and John W. McDonald, co-founders of the Institute for Multi-Track Diplomacy (IMTD). They expanded the original binary distinction between official governmental action (Track One) and unofficial nongovernmental action (Track Two) approaches to conflict resolution. Diamond and McDonald initially expanded the two tracks to five, adding conflict resolution professionals, business, private citizens, and the media. Subsequently, in 1991, they further expanded the model to nine tracks, introducing four new areas: religion, activism, research, training and education, and philanthropy.
The multi-track approach recognises the complexity of conflicts and the need to address different levels of conflict, from inter-governmental diplomacy to citizen diplomacy and economic diplomacy. It also highlights the importance of social peacebuilding, which involves dealing with the emotions of conflict and creating a framework for de-escalation and violence prevention. This aspect of multi-track diplomacy focuses on the human element, working with community leaders to develop skills and tools for conflict prevention and de-escalation.
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![Conflict resolution : track two diplomacy Center for the Study of Foreign Affairs ; edited by John W. McDonald Jr. and Diane B. Bendahmane. 1987 [Leather Bound]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61IX47b4r9L._AC_UY218_.jpg)
Multi-track diplomacy includes Track 1.5 and Track 2
Multi-track diplomacy is a conceptual way to view the process of international peacemaking as a living system. It looks at the web of interconnected activities, individuals, institutions, and communities that operate together for a common goal: a world at peace. Multi-track diplomacy is an expansion of the “Track One, Track Two” paradigm that has defined the conflict resolution field during the last decade.
Track One Diplomacy, or Track 1 diplomacy, is official government diplomacy, where communication and interaction are between governments. Track 1.5 diplomacy is used by some analysts to define a situation where official and non-official actors cooperate in conflict resolution.
Track Two Diplomacy, or Track 2 diplomacy, is the unofficial interaction and intervention of non-state actors. It is unofficial, non-structured interaction. It is always open-minded, often altruistic, and strategically optimistic, based on a best-case analysis. Its underlying assumption is that actual or potential conflict can be resolved or eased by appealing to the common human capabilities to respond to goodwill and reasonableness. Track 2 diplomacy brings together unofficial representatives on both sides, with no government participation.
Track 1.5 and Track 2 diplomacy are most successful when they have some connection to the formal policy process. To increase the utility of Track 1.5 and Track 2 dialogues, government participants should take what they have learned back to their respective agencies, and non-government participants should be encouraged to share their insights with government officials.
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Multi-track diplomacy is a sustainable route to conflict resolution
Track One Diplomacy, or traditional diplomacy, involves official government-to-government interactions and negotiations. However, the limitations of this rationalistic approach became evident as it failed to bring stability to the post-Cold War era, resulting in chaos and anarchy instead. Multi-track diplomacy addresses this by incorporating all aspects of mediation, from private citizens' efforts to top-level meetings of state leaders.
Ambassador John McDonald expanded Track Two Diplomacy into four additional tracks: conflict resolution professionals, business, private citizens, and the media. Together with Dr. Diamond, he further expanded these into nine tracks in 1991: religion, activism, research, training and education, and philanthropy were added to the initial four. This expansion reflects the complexity and breadth of unofficial diplomacy, recognizing that conflict resolution requires the involvement of all levels of society.
The multi-track approach is valuable because it reflects the different levels of conflict that need addressing. It also highlights the overall construction of complementarity, where various tracks work together towards peace. For example, in Northern Ireland, the Community Relations Council (CRC) worked to facilitate equitable service and resource distribution between Catholic and Protestant communities, improving relations. Similarly, tribal elders in Somaliland used traditional kinship networks to successfully resolve resource-based conflicts, showcasing the effectiveness of citizen diplomacy.
The multi-track design also includes inter-governmental diplomacy (e.g., the United Nations), governmental peacemaking through official diplomacy, second-track diplomacy using unofficial fora, economic diplomacy through donor organizations, and peace diplomacy through religious organizations. This diverse set of tracks ensures that conflict resolution efforts are sustainable and adaptable to the complexities of modern conflicts, addressing their underlying causes and reflecting the diversity of the human condition.
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