This is a virtual event. While there is no fee, registration is required. Registrants will be sent the join information via email when they register. DACOR is currently taking member-only registrations.
Join us for our next TransAtlantic Dialogue with the Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office Association, the Canadian Ambassadors Alumni Network, and the Canadian Foreign Service Alumni Forum, our counterparts in the United Kingdom and Canada.
As we reflect on this theme, we recall the works of Canadian author Margaret Atwood, whose dystopian fiction serves as a call to action in the face of increasing authoritarianism, environmental degradation, economic inequality, technological disruption, geopolitical fragmentation, and the deepened social divisions amplified by social media.
The post–World War Two international order—imperfect, yet anchored in rules, institutions, and a shared belief in collective security and prosperity—is steadily eroding, with profound consequences for the practice of diplomacy as we have known it.
Our three distinguished speakers will draw on their extensive diplomatic experience to reflect on today's political, economic, and social challenges, and to offer insights and lessons for a new generation of diplomats navigating the role of diplomacy in an increasingly dystopian world.
The Honourable Bob Rae, P.C., C.C., O.Ont., Q.C., recently served as Canada’s Ambassador to the United Nations (2020–2025), where he chaired the UN Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) and was a leading international voice on humanitarian, refugee, and human rights issues. He was elected 11 times to federal and provincial legislatures, serving as Premier of Ontario and later interim Leader of the Liberal Party of Canada. He now lives in Toronto, where he is writing and teaching and serving as a Fellow and advisor to several leading institutions. He is the Visitor at Massey College at the University of Toronto.
Now President of Queen’s College, Cambridge, Dame Menna Rawlings was appointed the UK ambassador to France in 2021, a post she occupied until July this year. Her appointment marked a historic milestone, forming a first-ever all-female cohort of heads of mission to G7 missions. Before Paris, Menna served as the FCDO’s Director-General for Economic and Global Issues from 2019-20. Prior to that, she was head of mission to Australia from 2015–2019. Earlier postings included Washington, Ghana, Israel, Kenya and Brussels.
Ambassador Ronald Neumann is currently President of the American Academy of Diplomacy. Formerly a Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Ron served three times as ambassador: to Algeria, Bahrain, and Afghanistan. A career member of the Senior Foreign Service, he also served as Embassy Baghdad's liaison with the Multinational Command. An Army infantry officer in Viet Nam, he was awarded a Bronze Star and Army Commendation Medal. Ron earned a B.A. in history and an M.A. in political science from the University of California at Riverdale and is a graduate of the National War College.
Moderator Alexandra Bugailiskis had a 39-year diplomatic career in Canada's foreign service, which included four Ambassadorial appointments (Italy, Poland, Cuba, and Syria) and senior executive roles in Ottawa, including as Chief Negotiator of the Canada–EU Strategic Partnership Agreement. She currently chairs the International Advisory Committee of the United Nations University Institute for Water, Environment and Health, and supports international advocacy efforts in her local community. In 2025, Alex received the Order of Canada for her contributions in shaping Canada's foreign policies and her mentoring of Canadian diplomats.
