Rethinking diplomacy

Here’s an index that’ll help you make sense of international relations

If the words ‘diplomacy’ or ‘international relations’ mean anything to you, you’ll want to check out the Global Diplomacy Index (GDI) published on Tuesday by Lowy Institute for International Policy.

If those words mean nothing to you beyond being mere buzzwords, then you’ll definitely want to check out the GDI.

For the uninitiated, Lowy Institute, a leading Australian think tank, is an independent, nonpartisan international policy think tank located in Sydney.
Using the metric of how many diplomatic posts — which range from an embassy or high commission to consulates and other representations — a country possesses overseas, a Lowy team headed by Alex Oliver, director of the institute’s polling programme, has put together a visually impressive graphic depiction of the diplomatic networks of all G20 and Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries.

See the Global Diplomacy Index