Prof Erik Goldstein delivered Keynote at Conference in Prague
History Professor Erik Goldstein delivered the keynote lecture at a conference held in Prague, Czech Republic dealing with “The League of Nations: The First Global Peacekeeping Organization in the Changing World – Reflections and Interdependencies.”
Organized by the Czech Academy of Sciences, Czech Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Charles University, and the University of Vienna, this conference brought together academics and practitioners from over 15 countries to consider in historical depth the challenges and lessons of peacekeeping efforts in a changing world.
In his keynote address on “Britain’s Dual Diplomacy: advantages and disadvantages of the League of Nations,” Goldstein discussed how throughout the two decades of the League of Nations’ active existence, Britain – one of the chief architects of the League and provider of its first Secretary-General – followed a dual-track diplomacy. On the one hand, it actively engaged with the League and its many sub-organs, while on the other hand it frequently made use of Great Power conferences (e.g. Washington 1921–1922 to Munich 1938). As the one truly global power during these years, he discussed the nature of Britain’s use or non-use of the League of Nations.