Arts & International Affairs: Volume 2, Number 2 | Page 99

Performing Empathy:
Lessons from the Stage for
Policymakers
Cynthia P. Schneider
Cynthia P. Schneider, Distinguished Professor in the Practice of Diplomacy at Georgetown University,
teaches, publishes, and organizes initiatives in the field of cultural diplomacy. Ambassador Schneider
co-directs the Laboratory for Global Performance and Politics at Georgetown; the Los Angelesbased
MOST Resource (Muslims on Screen and Television); and the Timbuktu Renaissance, an
innovative strategy and platform for countering extremism and promoting peace and development
in Mali. Dr. Schneider, who served as US Ambassador to the Netherlands (1998–2001), speaks
and publishes frequently on topics related to arts, culture, and media, and international affairs
(Huffington Post, CNN.com, Foreign Policy, Brookings).
Editor’s Note: QR codes that link to theater reviews discussed here are available at the end
of the article. The URLs will be hyperlinked in the text for the online edition.
Imagine if governments and peoples around the world had made empathy a
critical component of policymaking. What would the world look like today?
It is hard to think that the Syrian war would have gone on unabated, or
that the Saudis would have killed over ��,��� civilians in Yemen, or, for that
matter, that the United States would have elected Donald Trump.
Countering the prevailing realpolitik that has allowed these horrors requires
going back to the source: ancient Greece. The theaters of Athens hold the
secret to integrating empathy into global affairs. Let me explain.
The doctrine of realism that dominates policymaking in international affairs
and provides the rationale for turning a blind eye to human suffering and
ignoring basic rights in favor of strategic, or, perceived-to-be strategic,
alliances can be traced back to Thuycidides. Specifically, his account in The
Melian Dialogue of one episode of the Peloponnesian War may have the
dubious honor of being the inspiration behind realpolitik (Mendelsohn
����).
98
doi: ��.�����/aia.�.�.��