CWGC publishes ‘Commemoration and Diplomacy’

In March this year, CWGC hosted a major international event in partnership with the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI).

We have today published ‘Commemoration and Diplomacy’, a summary of discussions at the event, setting out the views of speakers and participants considering the past, present and future place of commemoration within international diplomacy.

'Commemoration and Diplomacy’ identifies and considers a range of themes; diplomatic relations in a post-colonial world, diplomatic tensions and contested memory, soft power and historical narratives, and digital commemoration. These themes are not only common to the international operations of commemoration organisations, they are also directly relevant to Governmental diplomacy.

 CWGC and other commemoration organisations serve not only to commemorate those who died in conflict, they also act as a powerful reminder of the human cost of war. With war once more returned to the European continent, and recent destructive turmoil continuing in the Middle East, ‘Commemoration and Diplomacy’ identifies principles that will help those working in the commemoration sector support the diplomatic endeavours of governments across the globe.