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Global Commons Working Group

The Global Commons Working Group brings together senior practitioners, policymakers, and leading academics to identify workable policy solutions and guiding principles for the worldā€™s most pressing diplomatic challenges.

Launched by the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy in October 2016 under the title ā€œThe New Global Commons: Emerging Global Diplomatic Challenges,ā€ it draws on its membersā€™ collective experience and expertise to advance substantive dialogue on issues that will define international relations for years to come.

The initiative is supported by the Carnegie Corporation of New Yorkā€™s ā€œBridging the Gapā€ initiative.

Multiple flags being raised. Text: Aftershocks from Gaza: Shifting Regional (dis)Order (Part 2)

Aftershocks from Gaza: Shifting Regional (dis)Order (Part 2)

In the spring of 2025, the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD) convened the Schlesinger Series in Strategic Surprises and New Global Commons working group titled ā€œAftershocks from Gaza.ā€ā€¦

A scene of crumbling ruins.

Aftershocks from Gaza: From Local to Global Consequences (Part 1)

In the spring of 2025, the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD) convened the Schlesinger Series in Strategic Surprises and New Global Commons working group titled ā€œAftershocks from Gaza.ā€ā€¦

Aerial view of a large open-pit mine in a mountainous desert landscape.

Mission Critical: Securing Americaā€™s Critical Minerals

The United States and its allies and partners face a two-pronged crisis. Increases in global temperatures call for the rapid expansion of critical mineral infrastructureā€”to include mines and refinementā€”if weā€¦

A close-up of a water droplet hitting a surface and creating concentric ripples

The Ripple Effect: A U.S. Diplomatic Strategy for a Changing World Order

Russiaā€™s February 2022 invasion of Ukraine upended what policymakers thought they knew about the world and territorial military aggression. The ensuing war has brought destruction to Europe unlike anything sinceā€¦

A stack of old silver coins with Cyrillic inscriptions

Enemies Foreign and Domestic: Confronting Kleptocrats at Home and Abroad

As Putin and his kleptocratic regime of oligarchs wage a devastating war in Ukraine, the costs of corruption have never been so starkly visible. Beyond Russia, recent examples of corruptionā€¦

High-angle view of a patchwork of colorful agricultural fields divided by a dirt road.

Peace Through Food: Ending the Hunger-Instability Nexus

In the twentieth century, humankind made phenomenal steps to increase food production. But today, complex and interrelated issues drive an increase in food insecurity globally, and propel conflict, migration, andā€¦

A digital, blue-toned background featuring abstract circular interfaces and binary code patterns.

The New Weapon of Choice: Technology and Information Operations Today

In recent years, a growing number of governments, non-state actors, and citizens have rapidly expanded their use of pernicious information operations against other countries and even their fellowĀ citizens. Social mediaā€¦

A satellite view of the world at night showing bright city lights across globe

The Rise of Metropolitanism: The International Order and Sub-National Actors

The growth and international clout of cities and sub-state actors has been unparalleled in recent decades. These players seek agency in the international arena, forming networks at the sub-state levelā€¦

A silhouette of the Statue of Liberty filled with the American flag pattern

Religious Intolerance and Americaā€™s Image and Policies Abroad

The Oct. 27, 2018 attack on worshipers in Pittsburghā€™s Tree of Life synagogue was a stark reminder that hate crimes and religious persecution threaten not just individuals and communities, butā€¦

View from the bow of a ship navigating through fragmented sea ice in the Arctic

The New Arctic: Navigating the Realities, Possibilities, and Problems

A July 2018 ISD report on ā€œThe New Arctic: Navigating the Realities, Possibilities, and Problemsā€Ā Ā explores the implications of the New Arctic, and the broader geopolitical repercussions of these changes. Theā€¦