Canadians launch Ukraine crisis e-diplomacy initiative

TORONTO, Aug. 16, 2014 – By withdrawing Canada's ambassador to Russia and by comparing the Russian president to Hitler, this was a clear indication by Prime Minister Stephen Harper that Canada will not be pursing a diplomatic solution to the crisis in Ukraine. However, Canadian citizens are independently seeking to create foundations for civil diplomatic communications between the two countries by organizing and broadcasting a dialogue between Ukraine, Russia, and the West.

ICDiplomacy, also pronounced as “I See Diplomacy”, and formally, “International Channels for Diplomacy”, establishes a global online discussion space directly between representatives of conflicting parties. What’s more ambitious is that the organization also intends to establish a transparent communication channel between the civil society of one country and the government of another country when both countries are heading towards conflict.

The project attracted notable Canadians to join the effort such as Peter D. Scott, a former Canadian Diplomat, and Walter Pitman, an Officer of the Order of Canada and President Emeritus of Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson University). The organization received a major boost upon receiving Ambassador Edward L. Peck, the former US Chief of Mission to Iraq, as an advisor.

Its first success came by way of persuading the following three experts to serve on a panel in the presence of a diplomatic moderator: Vladimir Kozin, a former senior diplomat of the Russian Foreign Ministry and advisor to the Russian government, Alex Ryabchyn, a professor in Donbass and contributor to the Washington Post, and Tom Switzer of the University of Sydney and contributor to the Wall Street Journal.

The discussion can be viewed live this Thursday, August 21, at 8 AM (EST) or 3 PM Ukrainian time, on ICDiplomacy.org. Citizens are encouraged to participate in the discussion by submitting their thoughts about peace strategies in real-time to panelists through the social media tools available on the website. The diplomatic dialogue should be of particular relevance to the Ukrainian and Russian communities in Canada. 

Canadians interested in taking unofficial and transparent e-diplomacy leadership can play a role in de-escalating tensions and gaining a more comprehensive understanding of the conflict by engaging directly representatives of conflicting parties.  

SOURCE International Channels for Diplomacy