What Forty Years of Diplomacy Taught Me About Agency Without Power
Speaker: Walter B. Gyger
Former Swiss Ambassador | Author of Dare We Hope?
Why this conversation matters
International politics is repeating its worst mistakes. Wars that could have been prevented in Ukraine, Gaza, Iran, Sudan, and Myanmar are tearing lives apart while the world looks on, divided and distracted.
Peacebuilders work at the intersection of ideals and constraints. They carry commitment, expertise, and courage. What they often lack is not motivation, but a clear map of where their influence really lies, and where it does not.
This conversation is not a motivational speech. It is not a geopolitical lecture. It is a candid reflection on how peacebuilders can act responsibly, effectively, and sustainably in a world shaped by power politics.
What this talk explores
A different understanding of hope
- Where peacebuilders tend to overestimate their influence, and why this leads to frustration and burnout
- Where peacebuilders underestimate their influence, and quietly shape outcomes through process, timing, and relationships
- Why governance is a process, not a slogan, and how misreading the stage leads to wasted energy
- How power politics sets limits without eliminating human agency
- What hope means in practice when fairness is not guaranteed
Hope is not believing the system is fair. Hope is knowing where you can still move it.
Peacebuilding is rarely about winning arguments. It is about keeping options open, protecting dialogue, and staying in the room when progress is slow.
About the speaker
Walter B. Gyger served for four decades in Swiss diplomacy, including as Ambassador to India, Türkiye, Russia, and several African countries, and as Head of the Permanent Mission of Switzerland to the UN Office and other International Organizations in Geneva. His work spans multilateral diplomacy, mediation, and conflict-affected regions across Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Africa.
His book Dare We Hope? is not a memoir. It is a practical reflection on how cooperation fails, how it can be repaired, and where agency still exists under conditions of power asymmetry.
The book is available in print and ebook formats at www.darewehope.com. An audiobook edition is currently in preparation.
Format
Interactive lecture followed by discussion. Questions and reflections from Rotary Peace Fellows are explicitly invited.
Closing thought
Peacebuilding is not about changing the world in one move.
It is about knowing where a small move still matters.
Date: Thursday, 19 February 2026
Time: 14:00–15:30 CET | 16:00–17:30 EAT | 18:30–20:00 IST
Format: Online (Zoom)
Registration link (necessary):
This free event is co-organised by the Rotary Peace Fellowship Alumni Association, Minorities for Peace, NEVER AGAIN Association – Stowarzyszenie NIGDY WIĘCEJ, and Exult Solutions, bringing together perspectives from peacebuilding practice, minority and indigenous rights, dialogue facilitation, and historical memory work.
No responses yet