Interaction is an essential part of the diplomatic studies programmes that I have designed and developed. Students interact with and learn from each other; as well, they interact with and learn from academics, politicians and professional diplomats who are working in the field.

Note - Hearder is from "Ambassadors and Public Diplomacy" session (Transformational Public Diplomacy: Shaping the Future of International Relations Symposium), May 2008.
[l-r] Professor Nabil Ayad; HE Dr Sami Khiyami, Ambassador of the Syrian Arab Republic to the Court of St James’s, London; HE Dr Michael Frendo, former Foreign Minister of Malta; Sir David Miers, KBE, CMG, former British Ambassador to Lebanon, Greece and The Netherlands and Head, Middle Eastern Department, Foreign and Commonwealth Office, London and HE Mrs Ana Maria Teles Carreira, Ambassador of Angola to the Court of St James’s, London and Ambassador Dr Mladen Andrlić, Director of the Diplomatic Academy of Croatia

Students acting as rapporteurs at the international symposium.
(Left to right) Miss Lizhi Wang (China), candidate on the MA Interpreting, Translation and Diplomacy; Mr David Copeland (USA) ,candidate on the MA Diplomatic Studies; Mr Tong Wang (China), candidate on the MA Diplomatic Studies; Professor Nabil Ayad, Director, Diplomatic Academy of London; Sir David Miers, Symposium Chairman; and Mr Francisco Orjales-Mourente (Spain), candidate on the MA Diplomatic Studies.

Cross-Fertalisation of Ideas

The most effective cross-fertalisation has been occurring during a series of symposia built around relevant themes under the titles: Diplomacy Beyond 2000 and Diplomacy in the 21st Century. I believe these events have been highly effective in drawing attention to the many issues that confront diplomatic missions on a day to day basis.

 

Diplomacy in the 21st Century - Symposia
All symposia were held in London, unless otherwise indicated.

Under my leadership, the Diplomatic Academy regularly organised international symposia for the benefit of members of the London Diplomatic Corps, directors of diplomatic training and students of diplomacy and international relations. Each theme has been challenging and far-reaching and has given the participants an opportunity to network and exchange ideas and experience. Students played an important role in the planning, organisation and implementation of the symposia which have attracted senior government officials, heads of diplomatic missions and decision-makers from all over the world. These include:

Transformational Public Diplomacy: Shaping the Future of International Relations - April 29th - May 1st, 2008

Technology and Public Diplomacy session (left-right)
Dr Ali Fisher, Director, Mappa Mundi Consultants and former Director of Counterpoint, British Council, London; Professor R S Zaharna, Associate Professor, School of Communication, American University, Washington, DC; Abdel-Illah Bennis, Senior Academic and Course Leader, MA Diplomatic Studies; Professor Margaret Blunden, Professor Emeritus and former Deputy Vice-Chancellor, University of Westminster; Mr Ian Barnes, Intergence Systems, Cisco; Mr David Steven, Managing Director, Riverpath

The International Dimensions of European Values - May 1, 2007

The International Dimensions of European Values symposium
(left-right) Professor Nabil Ayad, Director, The Diplomatic Academy of London, University of Westminster; HE The Honourable Vincenzo Scotti, Secretary of State, Italian Ministry for Foreign Affairs and President, Link Campus University, Rome and former Minister of Home Affairs, Foreign Affairs and Labour and Social Security; Mr Abdel-Ilah Bennis, Director of Diplomatic Studies, MA Diplomatic Studies, The Diplomatic Academy of London; and Mr Daryl Copeland, Senior Advisor Strategic Policy and Planning, Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Canada

Others in the series include:

• International Security and the Dynamics of the New Diplomacy: Image Projection and Reputation Management -May 10-11, 2006
• Reforming the UN and the Future of Multilateralism March 2005
• Diplomacy and Gender - April 8-9, 2003
• The UN and the Media in War and Peace - October 2002
• Refugees and Minorities in International Relations - April 11-12, 2001
• Institutional Corruption and Good Governance -May 31, 2001, Paris
• Media and Terrorism - December 10, 2001 Paris
• Ethics in International Practice - April 17-19, 2000
• Divinity, Diplomacy and Development - May 2, 2000, Paris
• The Impact of Technology on Intelligence and Security - March 29-31, 1999
• Diplomacy & Divinity: Religion In International Relations - April 7-9, 1998
• The Information Explosion: A Challenge for Diplomacy - April 9-11, 1997
• Are Diplomats Really Necessary? - April 1-3, 1996
• Diplomacy Beyond 2000 - April 5-7, 1995
  

Conferences - Participation

I have participated in and contributed to numerous International Conferences and Symposia, all over the world.

Below are a list of the most recent.

January 12, 2012 - London, UK

Professor Nabil Ayad acted as an external examiner for a PhD thesis on : Music as Cultural Diplomacy: A Personal Journey Using Improvisation as a Creative Tool, Department of Arts and Humanities, School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

November 2011 - Breukelen,The Netherlands

Professor Nabil Ayad acted as an external examiner for a PhD thesis on: The Determinants of Foreign Direct Investment in the Middle East and North Africa Region , Nyenrode Business University. The Netherlands.

November 24-25, 2011 - Lisbon, Portugal

Professor Nabil Ayad attended "Towards Education and Technological approaches to. Implement Sustainability: The role of Universities on Better Life. Indicators" - the 4th General Assembly of the Euro-Mediterranean University together with the TETIS 2011 Conference organized by University of Lisbon and Euro-Mediterrian University in Slovenia.

Professor Nabil Ayad at TETIS 2011

September, 2011 - Boston, USA

39th Annual Meeting of the International Forum on Diplomatic Training, held at the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy

Chair and Panelists: [l-r] Louis Aucoin, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy; Patricio José, Higher Institute of International Relations, Mozambique; Nabil Ayad, London Academy of Diplomacy

Professor Nabil Ayad, Director of the London Academy of Diplomacy,  University of East Anglia, London Campus gave a presentation entitled: "Diplomacy of Transitional Justice"

Deans & Directors of Diplomatic Acadamies, Boston, USA, Sept 2011

 

June, 2011 - Dubrovnik, Croatia

Professor Nabil Ayad, Director of the London Academy of Diplomacy,  University of East Anglia, London Campus gave a presentation entitled:  The Role of Diplomacy in Bridging the Cultural Gap at the 14th CEI DUBROVNIK DIPLOMATIC FORUM ON ‘EU and Its Neighbours: Prospects and Challenges’

The international conference  was sponsored by the EU and organised by Croatian Diplomatic Academy, Ministry for Foreign Affairs and European Integration , EMUNI University, Slovenia  and the London Academy of Diplomacy , University of East Anglia, United Kingdom'

March 16th-19th, 2011 - Monreal, Canada

Professor Nabil Ayad attended the Annual Convention of the Internatinal Studies Association - Global Governance: Political Authority in Transition. Chaired the panel on Diplomatic Training.

October 24th , 2010 - Rome, Italy

Professor Nabil Ayad, Director of the London Academy of Diplomacy, was the Keynote speaker at the Round Table session on Teaching and Learning Diplomacy on 24th October 2010 as part of the one week Rome Diplomatic Festival.

February 17-20, 2010 - New Orleans, USA

INTERNATIONAL STUDIES ASSOCIATIONS’ 51st ANNUAL CONVENTION
ISA Annual Convention 2010, New Orleans

THEORY VS. POLICY? CONNECTING SCHOLARS AND PRACTITIONERS
Wednesday, February 17, 2010 - Saturday, February 20, 2010

• Chaired a Roundtable Session "Guerrilla Diplomacy: Revolution in Diplomatic Affairs" which was sponsored by the Diplomatic Studies Section.
  Chair: Nabil Ayad, University of Westminster - Discussant: Daryl Copeland, Foreign and International Affairs, Canada
  Pannel Members: Geoffrey Allen Pigman, Bennington College; Kathy R. Fitzpatrick, Quinnipiac University; Ali R. Fisher, Mappa Mundi Consulting; Evan H. Potter, University of Ottawa; Jan Melissen, Clingendael; James Der Derian, Brown University; Nicholas J. Cull, University of Southern California

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November 23-24, 2009 - Sousse University

The Union for the Mediterranean: Cultural Platform& Institutional Construction (November 23-24, 2009) Sousse University

• Gave a Presentation entitled "The Role of Diplomacy in Bridging the Cultural Gap"

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September 11-13, 2009 - Vienna, Austria

September 2009 - Deans and Directors of Diplomatic Academies and Institutes of International Relations at the 34th Meeting of the International Forum on Diplomatic Training - Held at the Diplomatic Academy of Vienna in Vienna, Austria.

The  International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS)  7th Global Strategic Review, on the theme “The New Geopolitics” (September 11-13, 2009) Geneva.

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June 3, 2009 - London, UK

Event sponsored by Society Outreach ' (June 3, 2009) House of Lords, London

• Member of the panel on ‘The Role of the Media in the Arab-Israel Relations: Stereotyping or Bridging Gaps'?
• Gave a presentation on 'The Impact of the Social Media

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May 7-9, 2009 - Dubrovnik, Croatia

12th CEI DUBROVNIK DIPLOMATIC FORUM‘Modern European Diplomacy and Diplomatic Training’ (7-9 May 2009) Dubrovnik, Croatia

• Gave a presentation on Crisis Management: Diplomacy and Diplomatic Training – Prof. Dr. Nabil Ayad, Director, Diplomatic Academy of London, University of Westminster, UK
• Acted as Respondent to the session on Women in Diplomacy – Ms Vivian Walker, Deputy Chief of Mission, US Embassy in Zagreb

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6-7 April, 2009 - Washington, DC USA

Carnegie International Nonproliferation Conference, "The Nuclear Order—Build or Break," (6-7 April  2009) Washington DC

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June 23-24, 2008 London, UK

Participation in the World Public Relations Conference & Festival Website, themed "The Public Benefit of Public Relations”, which took place in London on 23-24 June 2008. The conference was organised by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations to celebrate the 60th anniversary of CIPR Public Relations Centre.

• Member of the panel on Repairing Damage - the Role of PR in Public Diplomacy
• Gave a presentation entitled: Public Diplomacy: Image Protection and Reputation Management

Left-right) Peter Walker FCIPR, Executive Chairman, Pielle Consulting Group; Lou Capozzi, Chairman, Emeritus Publicis PR and Corporate Communications Group, Chairman ICCO; and Professor Nabil Ayad, Director, The Diplomatic Academy of London, University of Westminster, were members of the panel on Repairing damage – the Role of PR in Public Diplomacy at the 5th World Public Relations Conference and Festival which was organised by the Chartered Institute of Public Relations to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the CIPR Public Relations Centre.

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June 4-6, 2008 - London, UK

Participated in the Defence Image and Reputation Management Conference which was organised by Marcus Evans www.marcusevans.com , 4th-6th June 2008, London .

• Gave a presentation on: Public Diplomacy and the New Media Landscape: Understanding the new media environment requirements, Overcoming an increasingly fragmented set of media and audiences, Redefining public diplomacy, Lessons learnt - case-study

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May 5-9, 2008 - London, UK

I participated in the Diplomatic Week on: Preparing Leaders for the Changing World which was organised by Link University in Rome in Conjunction with the Diplomatic Academy of London , University of Westminster , 5th-9th May 2008 .

I gave presentations on the following topics : Dynamics of Diplomacy, Diplomacy of the XXI Century: challenges and limitations, Global Threats in the information age, The Role of Intelligence in the Formulation of Foreign Policy, and Assessing Performance and Outcomes in Diplomacy.

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April 25th, 2008 - Waterloo, Ontario, Canada

I gave a presentation on Image Projection and Reputation Management in the Middle East at the Centre for International Governance and Innovation www.cigionline.org , Waterloo, Canada , 25th April 2008

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April 17-19, 2008, Dubrovnik , Croatia.

I participated in the annual conference of the Central European Initiative (CEI) Diplomatic Forum on: Diplomatic Training and Regional Co-operation .

I gave a presentation on: Defence Diplomacy.

[l-r] Professor Nabil Ayad, Director, Diplomatic Academy of London, H.E. Dr. Lisen Bashkurti, President of the Albanian Diplomatic Academy, Tirana; Dr. Gerhard Reiweger, Deputy Director, Diplomatic Academy of Vienna and Mr. Zoran Vodopija, Head of Department for Political Analysis, MFAEI, Croatia.

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March 26-29, 2008 San Francisco,USA

I participated in the 49th Annual ISA Convention which was held in San Francisco , CA 26th - 29th March 2008 . The theme of the convention was : Bridging Multiple Divides .I acted as a discussant for the following panel : Using Public Diplomacy to Communicate in the Age of the 'War on Terror.'

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February 26-27, 2008 - Rabat, Morocco

I participated in a seminar on Quality in Universities in the Euromed Area which was held in Rabat, 26-27 of February 2008. I gave a paper on : Experiences and Good Practices in the Field of Quality Systems of Euromed Universities – University of Westminster – A Case Study.

I was elected Chairman of the European Universities Group within the EPUF – EuroMed Permanent University Forum ( EPUF)