International Relations

C21(a) - Multilevel Diplomacy

Date: Jun 14 | Time: 03:30pm to 05:00pm | Location: Zoom (see details/voir détails)

Chair/Président/Présidente : Basilieus Zeno (York University)

Discussant/Commentateur/Commentatrice : Basilieus Zeno (York University)

Zoom Meeting Link | Meeting ID : 980 7304 6983 | Password: 874240

Multilevel diplomacy in the Canadian Federation: Seeking Unity in Diversity in Global Environmental Governance: Marjolaine Lamontagne (McGill University)
Abstract: In an era of globalization and anthropogenic climate change, federal systems face the complex task of addressing global challenges while upholding the principles of federated autonomy and jurisdiction. Global environmental politics, in particular, exert significant pressure on federal arrangements due to the necessity for state parties to international environmental conventions to align with global targets or voluntarily establish nationally determined goals. Federal governments are called upon to negotiate on behalf of their constituent units, despite lacking the internal competences and unilateral authority to implement environmental agreements. From a practical standpoint and the perspective of federated state leaders, these dynamics raise questions of effectiveness, implementation, and legitimacy. This paper delves into the intricate challenge of achieving "unity in diversity" within the context of global environmental governance, focusing on the emerging phenomenon of “multilevel diplomacy”—the increasingly normalized incorporation of substate and indigenous delegates within national delegations to global summits. This study employs a "multi-sited" ethnography methodology to conduct an in-depth investigation of the political and practical aspects of multilevel environmental diplomacy in Canada, a multinational federation and a settler colonial state comprising over 50 Indigenous Nations. The research combines direct participant observation at international conferences, such as the Adaptation Futures Conference in Montreal (2023) and COP28 in Dubai, with interviews of civil servants and elected officials from the federal ministries of Global Affairs and the Environment, the environmental ministries of the provinces of Québec, Ontario, Alberta, and British Columbia, and Indigenous communities. (Supervisor: Vincent Pouliot, vincent.pouliot@mcgill.ca)

Creating Value from Quibits: Exploring the Commercialization of Quantum Technology as Foreign Policy: Kristen Csenkey (Wilfrid Laurier University)
Abstract: All things quantum have a value. Canada has committed $360 million to further the development of quantum technologies through the National Quantum Strategy (NSQ). One of the pillars of the NSQ is the commercialization of Canadian quantum technologies in the global market. Yet, the fully formed capabilities of many of these technologies are yet to reach their expected potential. Despite this reality, formal and informal international partnerships include quantum technologies as a point of economic and security cooperation. Set in this context, I explore how the ‘value’ of quantum technologies are defined through international cooperations on technology governance. I accomplish this by analyzing strategy documents, programs, and identifying key actors involved in its definition process. I employ the analytical framework of financialization and apply it to the study of international technology cooperations in place of a Canadian foreign policy. The financialization literature is largely focused on the extraction of value and profit creation from physical spaces, people, labour and other resources (Ahlers and Merme 2016; Ouma et al. 2018; Horton 2022). In this paper, I attempt to integrate this literature into the study of IR and foreign policy through the lens of commodity governance (van der Ven and Barmes 2023). Through this application, I seek to study how the NQS could be framed as accumulation strategy whereby value is extracted from future quantum technologies. By focusing on the framing of the NSQ, especially the commercialization pillar, this paper examines how commercial products are the processes made from partnerships, people and expertise (Ims et al. 2015) with broader implications for understanding their governance through the construction of profit extraction.