♪ >> these are the top stories. the former minneapolis police officer eric chauvin is asking for a new trial, citing multiple grounds, iluding jury misconduct. he was last month convicted of second and third degree murder as well as manslaughter for the killing of george floyd. we had the latest from washington, d.c. >> this motion was not at all unexpected. it had been predicted that there would be an attempt by the defense to declare a mistrial in this particular case. the four-page protest from the

defense team hones in on three important issues, one, it criticizes the venue of the trial, saying it led to a tainted juror pool. it complains about the publicity around the case. thirdly, in the events, they failed to sequester the jury for the entirety of the trial, making them open to public comment or public issues on the matter that they were adjudicating on. >> india's official count of coronavirus infections since the start of the pandemic has surpassed 20 million, with more than 220,000 deaths. a surge in cases has been blamed on government mismanagement and more contagious covid-19 variants. israeli forces have attacked demonstrators in occupied east jerusalem and stopped other protesters from entering the area. forcing several families to

leave the neighborhood. benjamin netanyahu's mandate to form a government has expired, putting his political future in question. he's been meeting opposition party leaders to secure enough votes to form a coalition. mexico's president is demanding answers after one of the country's force transport disasters. at least 24 people were killed when an elevated metro line collapsed, sending a train crashing down onto the cars below. world leaders are calling for another day about annette protest against the president's economic policies. the u.n. and the u.s. want the government -- warned the government of excessive force. those are your headlines. the news continues and al jazeera on inside story.

♪ >> solving an international crisis through global diplomacy. face-to-face meetings used to be considered en masse. but covid-19 stopped that. digital diplomacy through online platforms is now key. but can it be a successful alternative? this is "inside story." ♪ hello, welcome to the program. face-to-face meetings are said to be the best way to bring together conflicting parties.

but during the past year, amid the global coronavirus pandemic, it changed all that. social distancing measures in health and travel -- and health and travel restrictions forced world leaders to switch to virtual talks and diplomats had to negotiate and persuade, while adapting to the relatively new technological advances. the diplomatic calendar was completely disrupted by covid-19. but right up to date, some talks are now taking place in person. the g7 foreign ministers have met face-to-face for the first time in two years after covid-19 pause. it is a chance for the world's leading economies to hold formal discussions missing during videoconferences. the ministers of wooden -- the ministers avoided handshakes and took health safety precautions. but the u.s. secretary of state did not fly to kenya or nigeria for his first africa tour last month. the secretary of state met with leaders of both countries virtually.

he also engaged with young african people and went online to visit local renewable energy companies. and president joe biden has switched virtual diplomacy and his -- in his climate change talks with world leaders. he has attempted to get a consensus from countries on cutting greenhouse emissions from an online summit hosted from the white house. but leaders of the south east asian nations association have met face-to-face to discuss myanmar's crisis. the talks, held under strict social distancing and health measures. the u.n. general assembly annual meeting is one of the main events of the global diplomatic calendar. but this year, it was held virtually for the first time. the podium was empty, and there was no hustling and bustling of diplomats. so there were no physical gasps or awkward handshakes or unexpected laughter by delegates, as was the case in

reaction to remarks from former u.s. president donald trump in 2018. ♪ let's bring in our guests. in oxford, tom fletcher. he is principal of hartford college at oxford university and foreign policy advisor to three u.k. prime ministers. in brussels, teresa fallon, she's the director of the center for russia-europe asia studies. and yousef amarani, morocco's ambassador to south africa. welcome to the program. tom, we are all trying to adapt to the new realities following the spread of covid-19. how has it affected global diplomacy? >> well, in massive ways, as with every other industry. most diplomacy has been happening online. just like this, by zoom, by skype, over the last year and a half. and covid knocked out a number of big international conferences that would normally have taken

place in 2020. you have to remember, diplomacy is one of the last crafts that depends on the handshake, literally the handshake at the end of a peace deal. and so, with the last three feet, that human contact is incredibly important, and that is what diplomats have been lacking in the last year. >> teresa, the handshake, the opportunities, the gatherings, those were landmark events particularly in places like brussels, with nato and european union. how has that changed and i was covid-19? -- changed now with covid-19? >> i think it's changed dramatically, because so much information has not been leaked. you can't imagine how much information is exchanged and the sidelines of major events. and all that has been sanitized and it's difficult and frustrating for many people to get that needed information. but now that covid's slowly being lifted, these sanctions and how people can move, i even had a meeting last week in a

park with a diplomat and we walked for over an hour, we didn't even feel the time pass. we were just so relieved to have that human contact and talk in person.to i've had many introductions by email to talk to someone, and exchanges are never very warm or informative. i find the person-to-person contact is far more helpful, so i think that this is a big change for everybody. >> yousef, the person-to-person contact, and now to finding refuge in virtual reality, to carry out your duties, could you give us a sense of h it has affected your work as an ambassador? >> well, the global covid-19 pandemic has imposed a new reality, to which we all have to adapt. and diplomats, ambassadors make no exception. the pandemic has challenged the way we do and perform our work.

it's challenged also the way we interact with one another and the way -- also, this threat has led us to question what we used to take for granted. and the main consequence for us as people on the ground is that it has highlighted the need to secure and strengthen the resilience of the international rule-based order. so combating the virus became the primary struggle of an international community in, if i might say so, engaged in a deadlock. however, though this ambition was global and collective, action that we had to take unfortunately had not reached the comprehensive and concerted

approach. >> all right, tom, diplomacy is in one way or another the art of negotiation, why you need to be face-to-face with the one you're talking to to try to get to come ground. -- to common ground. because it's been an indication that now with covid-19, that traditional diplomacy or diplomacy as we've known it is part of history. >> it's an important part of history, but also an important part of the future. because all of these challenges, which you've heard about just there, they odds are that all of -- the odds are that all of them involve diplomacy in some ways. perhaps what we've learned is that the answer to every 21st challenges not always an international conference. but we have learned that you do need that national corporation that the ambassador just described, that you do need that human contact that teresa described, in order to find the solutions to these challenges. so i think diplomacy will evolve again. diplomacy has always changed, it changed when ships came along,

when the stirrup came along and you could ride horses, it changed when the telephone came along. the british foreign secretary said at the time, my god, it is the end of diplomacy. and of course, diplomacy survived, so it will evolve, it will change, and it will improve, but it will be a crucial part of actually finding the answers to these challenges that we described. >> back in march, april, may last year, parents were grappling over the world about whether hybrid learning was going to be efficient. i'm going to ask you the same question, teresa, about hybrid diplomacy. do you think it's been efficient so far in places like brussels? >> i think it is something that will be here to stay. of course, nothing will replace the human to human contact, but the economics of it, you could have many events and invite people from all over the world, which people were not able to do in the past. so i think we will see hybrid of this in the future, because of the pure economics of it. you don't need to have transport costs, and putting up someone in a hotel.

and also, we can see, for example, with president biden, he was able to attend events that no u.s. president had attended in the past. for example, at this year's munich security conference, he was the first u.s. president to speak at it, because it was virtual. he was able to appear, and everyone took that as a very promising sign. there are positive points about this, as well. he spoke in the u.s. congress. i think people are able to source more expertise from around the world. that is the upside. but i think the expansion of digital diplomacy is also another key development. it was already in existence before covid-19. but we've seen it as a catalyst, it's expended much more dramatically. -- expanded much more dramatically. >> ambassador yousef, do you see a benefit here, in the sense that for the first time, you don't have to really think about traveling all over the globe,

dealing with time differences, all the hustle and bustle that comes with traveling. now you are confined to a place, you are talking to people as long as it takes to come up to a sense of agreement. >> let me be clear, we had to adapt, as far as tools, as far as temperatures. -- as far as appertures. in the time of pandemic, the digital technology has allowed us as diplomats to stay connected to the world and our partners. which is essential. for the first time, i have 40 years of foreign policy, of diplomacy. for the first time in 40 years, we experienced diplomacy through digital technology. that is today accessible. and the diplomats, as diplomats,

we have to come out of our bubble and create directly with the outside world, with our partners, with our foreign ministers come and negotiate. -- with our foreign ministers, and negotiate. i had to make some decisions on very important issues by this technology. but this having been said, i'm happy to agree with my friend. this being said, nothing can replace direct contact. >> okay. fair enough. >> in the negotiation room, where one can find the best possible compromise through direct human interaction. digital technology cannot replace human contact. it must be a vector of that, but not a replacement. >> tom, there's an issue here. paparazzis in the past were all the time looking for the right moment to capture what's making headlines. today, there are concerns about

technology safety and security, glitches, particularly in the case of the social media post by the china's law enforcement buddy which was juxtaposed in the module interspaced with the cremation piles in india, which was deleted later. could this be something that world leaders, diplomats all over the world have to be really careful about in the future? >> yet, so there some clear positives. as you've heard, collectively as diplomats, we are not leaving such a huge carbon footprint behind us. so that is a positive in itself. but there are risks. there are risks from hostile groups, which can try to exploit the technology, there are basic admin and technological risks that can impede the conversation, that can get in the way of the frankness of the conversation. that human contact that you just heard about. but i always say to investors and foreign ministers to be cautious of getting involved in social media.

for me, the smartphone was both the opportunity and a threat. it was the way that i could connect with young people across the middle east, but also the way, the means by which terrorists were tracking my movements. it was a real opportunity and a real threat. so there are real risks using this technology, but the biggest risk is not to be out there trying to leave that space to our opponents. >> teresa, there is hope that 2023, 2024 is going to be back to normal. but doctors will tell you at the same time that we have to grapple with this new reality that viruses will be with us forever. in the meantime, what does it mean for global diplomatic centers, like brussels, geneva, and europe, will they be seen the same?in >> i think i agree with tom on this. because it really is a double-edged sword. i think that this type of digital diplomacy can actually backfire very badly. we saw with china and ireland, for example, they tweeted out a message about fables, the wolf,

and it backfired so badly, they had to pull the tweets from the internet. so i think that more advanced digital diplomacy will be important, but i think also for example, angela merkel, when she was president of the european council, she had envisioned this massive summit with the 2017 member states plus china. of course, that was replaced with a video meeting. but it doesn't have the same type of punch. so these photo opportunities, these opportunities for some information that is exchanged on the sidelines is invaluable, so i'm glad that the world has muddled through during this very difficult period of covid-19, but there will be a lot of catching up to do in person. and even now, i'm seeing diplomats meeting in brussels, in open spaces, so i think that is already taking place. >> yousef, do you see the need for adopting new methods, changing realities as far as foren services, ministries of

foreign affairs, diplomats having to deal with then you future? -- with the new future? i will give you an idea. as far as you're concerned, you are operating in south africa, you have where you meet for the african union summit. those things are changing with covid. are these things that you're putting into consideration as a diplomat? >> you raise a very important point. today, we have to move fast, think fast, and communicate. the risk is to lose track too quickly.in diplomacy is a long process. deep and longterm action. so digital technology must not be an instrument that favors the moment over the future. we must use digital technology, but with control and caution. otherwise, we risk losing relevance in trying to get efficient. i will give you an example. as far as morocco is concerned,

our foreign office has taken the initiative to fully integrate digital diplomacy as a subject lectured to our young diplomats. we want to make sure our diplomats gain skills, are able to interact with think tanks, civil society, and also control the digital world ahead of us. we have to accept that we need to adapt to this new situation. of course, the diplomat work is all about impact and influence. and we need to know how to use these tools to fulfill our job and our task. >> tom, here, i'm a little bit concerned, particularly when it comes to conflict resolution. you send a united nations envoy to a place like syria, or yemen, he would have to meet with tribesmen, with or lords, with -- with war lords, with government officials, with ngos, warring factions, convince them, conduct shadow diplomacy, bring

them to different places over the world, builds confidence measures, and after years, you hope you will be able to set aside those differences. it's not going to be the case anymore with digital diplomacy. >> well, you are exactly right. diplomacy takes huge amounts of patients. -- of patience. george mitchell, who did the northern ireland agreement, said that peacemaking was 799 desert days of failure. one day of success. much diplomacy is that patient work the ambassador just described. building up trust and rapport between different groups, to get to the point that people can imagine making these sacrifices, making these commitments, making these compromises and trade-offs. and so, a lot of that hasn't been happening over the last year. the other thing of course that hasn't been happening as there -- is there hasn't been as much resource and time for diplomacy. the attention of governments has been elsewhere. we've been think it vaccinating -- thinking about vaccinating

populations, thinking about getting through the lockdowns. a lot of the normal policy that would've happened in 2020-2021, you think of a number of peace processes, you mention syria, the attention hasn't been there. there's a very full to do list now for the foreign ministers of the world. that's why it's great that they are getting together in london today, the g7 foreign ministers, to look into that agenda again. >> teresa, world leaders, it's no secret that it is costly for world leaders. it is costing a lot for the budget of their own governments. this time, the digital diplomacy is very cost-effective in one way or another. biden had to conduct most of his meetings virtually without getting out of the u.s. could this be something that would be taken seriously by governments in the near future? and to save that money for something else, like public diplomacy? >> i think it could really be the beneficial thing in the early stages, or signaling.

for clinching final appeals, nothing will replace person-to-person meetings.@@ but i think that, as president biden has really shown, he's an older man, this can really work to his benefit, if he doesn't have to travel. president trump was often exhausted after his very long trips. he might not have performed as well as if someone had been very well rested. i suspect this will continue. we have also seen digital diplomacy in unexpected ways. for example, before the biden administration came to power. because of rules inside the u.s., there's only one president at a time. they were not allowed to communicate with other world leaders. so jake sullivan sent out a tweet telling the europeans, please wait, we are coming into office in three weeks, please wait. so we have seen kind of an evolution in digital diplomacy that we haven't seen in the past. it's the first time i can think of that twitter was used as a way to signal from the incoming presidential administration, because they are not really allowed to talk to world leaders.

it was transparent. everyone could see it. it was addressed to the twitterverse. people are getting more creative in using these tools as well. >> ambassador, when it comes to diplomacy, one of the key components of diplomacy is talks behind closed doors. i bet nothing will compensate for that. the moment you go on zoom, you will be carefully crafting the language you will be using. it wl be concerned about the backlash -- you will be concerned about the backlash. how will you deal with this in the future? >> it is necessary in the conduct of diplomatic action, in line with the changes of today and tomorrow. i would like to say, diplomats are advocates [indiscernible] globalization. if covid-19 has been a crisis, the diplomatic response must be the one that lays a foundation

for the international world. i will give you two examples. first, libya. one -- when we agreed on libya, a few years ago, it was impossible, because the different parties in the conflict didn't want to speak to each other, they didn't want to talk to each other. and thanks to this blessed diplomacy, we are able to -- classic the plumber say, we are able to put them together, to talk together, to have dinner together. to be able to move. thanks to the world that has been driven by this. the second example, only a few weeks ago, we have difficulties

in the african union through zoom to negotiate a resolution, to make commitments. to gather in small groups. you need this human to human, because diplomacy is something human, we need this contact. to summarize, we were able to face the challenges during covid with this technology. i think the future will resume in person. i'm really very, very happy to see that we are getting through this pandemic. >> on the financial aspect of the whole thing, i would like to go to back thing with you, which is basically -- we've seen you. need -- we've seen you don't need a large number of people. you can work with a minimum

staff and you can do it extremely well, with digital diplomacy. >> absolutely. and actually, this predated the pandemic and lockdowns. i've been arguing for some time that we need to strip away a lot of the paraphernalia from diplomacy. which i think slows diplomacy down. a lot of the pageantry and all of that sort of thing. it can often get in the way of real human contact. the essentials of diplomacy that we described. as a result of the pandemic, it will accelerate the trend to communicate where diplomacy matters. i've always protested against the kind of platitudes, the diplomatic statements where we say britain and france have bilateral relations, we discussed issues of mutual concern. these meaningless descriptions. i would much rather we communicate where honestly,

openly with the public about what we do. then they would better understand why it makes a difference to their lives. there was more support for the business of diplomacy. >> we will have to leave it there. it was good talking to you, teresa, tom fletcher, and yous ef, ambassador, we appreciate your insight. thank you, too, for watching. watch the program anytime by visiting aljazeera.com. for further discussion, go to our facebook page. that's facebook.com/ajinsidestory. you can also join the conversation on twitter. our handle is @ajinsidestory. from me and the entire team here, bye for now. óñóñ

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