The Desk is the New Podium: The Micro-Interactions That Define a Nation

The world of diplomacy often feels distant and dramatic. It is dominated by high-stakes treaties, televised summits, and the grand rhetoric of leaders on podiums. These spectacles capture the headlines, but according to leading author and public policy expert, Amro Shubair, they are mere frosting on a cake built from far humbler ingredients. Shubair, the author of “Diplomacy in Practice,” argues that the true measure of a nation’s influence—its strategic