By Wazim Mowla
2024 will be an important year for Guyana’s foreign policy. The country will take over as Chair of CARICOM and join the UN Security Council as a non-permanent member, giving Guyana an avenue for influence in both regional and international arenas. These positions are important as 2024 is set to be a consequential year, with global changes taking centre stage. Think tanks like the Atlantic Council have dubbed the new year as the superbowl of election years, with 83 national elections taking place in 78 countries. And rising global inflation and regional conflicts in Europe and the Middle East will keep commodity prices and markets fluid and volatile. For a small country such as Guyana, navigating these changes is imperative to its development and prosperity. Fortunately, unlike years past, Guyana is in a peak position to manage new global dynamics and shape the world around it for its benefit. Doing so is idealistic and a challenge but doable so long as the appropriate foreign policy institutions and architecture are put in place.
While not always obvious, foreign policy is a crucial element of sustainable economic development. Relative to some of the bigger, wealthier economies, Guyana is small and in many ways dependent on the ebbs and flows of the global economy and politics. For example, energy and fertilizer shortages in Europe can raise the price of electricity and food products for the average Guyanese while new public policies such as the Inflation Reduction Act or other green industrial policies can draw foreign investment away. Trade, foreign investment, and political agreements, among other transactions, require diplomacy and negotiation – two crucial elements of foreign policy. For the most part, countries tend to remain reactionary to global changes, often and rightfully prioritizing national development. But Guyana’s development is once again on track to outpace the rest of the world, meaning that we are now afforded the luxury of moving from being influenced to potentially now the influencer. Simply, we should invest in our foreign policy at the same rate we invest in our development.
So, what does a revamped foreign policy for Guyana look like? Fortunately, there is already a set foundation to build upon. Guyana’s notoriety in the global energy sector is well known and the country’s leadership has created confidence within international venues about the country’s direction. With the interest of international investors and global partners captured, Guyana should set itself two objectives: (1) building out a public diplomacy strategy and (2) working with the private sector to play a more active role in foreign policy. On one hand, public diplomacy focuses on government efforts to influence and inform foreign publics around the world. Publics in other countries know of Guyana’s oil and gas sector but how many know of the country’s record for environmental protection? On the other hand, the private sector can be a foreign policy tool used to incentivize new investors and the countries housing them to work closer with Guyana. No other entity will be as trusted or understand the business landscape as well as the private sector, allowing them to paint an objective and credible picture of the opportunities and challenges of investing in Guyana.
First, public diplomacy begins with listening to and understanding the landscape you want to operate within. Surveys and interviews of influential global actors can give Guyana a baseline as to what and how people perceive the country. Then, the government should consider establishing a public diplomacy office and strategy within the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. One actionable item that the office can undergo is assigning public diplomacy officers to each of our embassies. These officers can assist various Ambassadors, using social media, informational sessions, and professional networks to educate and eventually influence decision-makers like parliamentarians and members of Congress or C-suite executives at multinational corporations. These actors often consult a certain set of variables when making decisions on their policies or investments. If Guyana’s public diplomacy efforts are successful, then the country’s vision and interests will be among these variables and accounted for when decisions that affect us are made.
Further, reacting, responding, and preventing regional and international crises that directly affect Guyana is burdensome for our diplomats. By having a small population, Guyana cannot deploy its diplomatic resources at will. Stationed public diplomacy officers would be part of an infrastructure that can autonomously manage challenges and allow us to distribute resources from Georgetown more strategically, ensuring that our engagements with foreign partners are omnipresent and less ad-hoc.
Second, the government should consider working hand-in-hand with the private sector to shape Guyana’s international image. Foreign policy objectives are only successful and effective when backed by resources and capital. If public diplomacy offers resource capacity for the government, then the private sector brings needed financial means. The incentive for the private sector is that the more positive Guyana’s international image, the more likely new investors will take an interest in the country. As part of a new public diplomacy office, the government should consider convening a private sector council that meets quarterly to identify opportunities and strategies on the sidelines of head of state visits and international conferences to educate overseas investors and public officials. The Council could organize business-oriented and bespoke discussions or gatherings during these visits that explain items such as local content policy and best practices for entering Guyana’s market.
No country can sustainably operate alone. The international system is designed for all countries, institutions, and companies to interact and depend on each other to function. Therefore, Guyana’s success at home or on international stages will always be, at some level, influenced by others. Crafting and executing a public diplomacy strategy with the help of the private sector can lessen Guyana’s dependence on the whims of changing global dynamics and allow it to play a more active and influential role in the international arena.
Wazim Mowla is the Associate Director & Fellow of the Atlantic Council’s Caribbean program in Washington DC and a Senior Advisor to the ACE Consulting Group based in Guyana. Mowla is also a nonresident scholar at Florida International University’s Jack D. Gordon Institute for Public Policy.
