The challenges of linking scientific collaboration with intergovernmental diplomacy are certainly enormous. However, the G7 states have initiated a process that offers a valuable test case on the conceptual and practical merits of Science Diplomacy in the management of international spaces beyond national jurisdiction. The article explores the 2015 G7 proposal for a global ocean observing initiative and the challenges and opportunities that may arise vis-à-vis interstate competition and cooperation. Given that states use data and information from the oceans to compete as well as cooperate, the article argues that science diplomacy is a useful conceptual tool to reflect on and shape relations between scientific and policy communities. It concludes that the proposed global ocean observing initiative is a valuable test case for the role of science in shaping interstate relations in their governing of ocean spaces beyond national jurisdiction.
Fritz (2016).Observations, Diplomacy, and the Future of Ocean Governance.
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