The Meaning of Diplomacy (original) (raw)
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Open and visible diplomacy does not deter diplomats from conducting discreet, and secret negotiations. Diplomacy is the outcome and result of negotiations, 'the quality of the outcome'; diplomacy is dependent upon the qualities of the negotiators, the quality of information collected by diplomats and their communications. This is always the same whether in wartime or in peace time. The success of diplomatic conferences is largely dependent upon bureaucracy and the administration and those bureaucrats involved in organising and administering diplomatic moments; such as the signing of treaties and the orchestration of open and visible communications between states. Diplomacy is not however, without risk; in a changing world with faster communications, globalisation and expectations about more open and global networks, the diplomat cannot function at the same pace without compromising the long-term view and his or her assessment. ___________________________________________________________________________ "Before exploring if globalization has changed the nature of diplomacy, we should remind ourselves of the basic functions as set out in various texts and Vienna Conventions. Diplomats are asked:-to represent the sending state to the host authorities-to protect the interests of the sending state and defend the national interest-to negotiate on behalf of the sending state-to gather information on the host state and report-to promote better relations between the sending and receiving state-to provide a platform for consular activities." [1] Francis Campbell Former Ambassador to the Holy See.
Any person who does any unauthorized act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages. Contents Acknowledgments vii Preface ix 3 Institutionalization and Ritualization Institutionalization Ritualization Shared symbols and references: diplomatic protocol Reciprocity, precedence and diplomatic immunity Diplomatic ranks Concluding remarks 4 Communication Language Gathering information Transmitting information: diplomatic signaling Negotiation Verbal and nonverbal communication Private and public communication Technological development Concluding remarks v vi Contents 5 Diplomatic Representation Behavior: acting for others Status: standing for others Concluding remarks The Reproduction of International Society Reproduction of premodern international societies 121 Reproduction of the modern society of states Concluding remarks 7 Diplomacy and Changing Polities Philip, Alexander and the Greek community Religious vs. secular polities in the Early Middle Ages 143 The European Union Concluding remarks Conclusions Notes Index Preface It seems very difficult to theorize about diplomacy. Those of a historical bent will suggest that there is nothing new to say in these terms, while practitioners may doubt the utility of theorizing in general. As a result, and as Jönnson and Hall note, the study of diplomacy has been marginalized within International Relations (IR). Given diplomacy's importance to what goes on, in the world, and an understanding of it, this marginalization has been a surprising, bordering on scandalous, state of affairs. Scholars of International Relations, therefore, owe a great debt to Christer Jönsson and Martin Hall. In providing us with Essence of Diplomacy, they have produced a path-breaking work which employs the best of the sociological theory which is at long-last percolating into mainstream academic IR to demonstrate diplomacy's importance. So long as the human condition is governed by pluralist, rather than solidarist, conceptions of who we are and how we live, then relations between separate groups will remain. These relations must involve communication, representation and reproduction. The modalities of these three elements may change over time and by place. In themselves, however, they are the essential elements of diplomacy and point to the way in which diplomacy, itself, is an essential element in international relations. After this book, practitioners and historians will no longer be able to ignore the benefits, at least, of international theorizing, and IR scholars will no longer be able to ignore diplomacy's centrality to nearly everything in which they are interested. Indeed, a rich research agenda of empirical studies is now needed to explore the full implications of Jönsson and Hall's argument.
Journal of Public Diplomacy, 2023
Since the early 21 st century, the study of diplomacy has extended in terms of processes and dynamics through diverse geographical areas. In the current application of diplomacy, it is recognized that it is under pressure to involve a social dimension in the decision-making process on foreign policies and global agendas. Not long ago, scholars and practitioners considered the societal dimension irrelevant to discussing diplomacy's function. However, as seen in the flourishing extension of the academic literature, diplomacy is progressing as an attractive field of research moving beyond the discipline of International Relations and Diplomatic Studies. The study of the relationship between diplomacy and society beyond structural and elitist perspectives is a relatively new area of diplomatic studies, and the book Diplomacy for Professionals and Everyone is more useful than ever. Discussing the social dimension of diplomacy, Professor Alisher Faizullaev invites us to think of diplomacy as a collaborative space beyond the orthodox perspective of diplomacy as a select sphere for states and their international institutions. The book Diplomacy for Professionals and Everyone argues "that both traditional and new sociopolitical actors, including states, organizations, companies, groups, and individuals, can use diplomacy to manage existing relationships, resolve problems, and protect interests." (p. 2) From an interdisciplinary dialogue between Diplomatic Studies, Psychology (Chapter 8), and Sociology especially using the Symbolic Interactionism and Game Theory approaches of Ervin Goffman (Chapter 9), the discussion offered in this book expands a theoretical approach
The SAGE Encyclopedia of Political Behavior Diplomacy, 2017
It gives me great pleasure to inaugurate this international meeting organised by the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies. The main theme of the conference -modern diplomacy -is as topical as it is challenging. We are living through a period of rapid transition in international relations and impressive developments and achievements in the field of communication technology. Besides, new concepts and definitions have evolved over the years of what we mean and understand when we refer to threats to peace, and when we speak of security.
The next chapter in diplomacy; how the modern diplomat remains relevant
Allegedly, the U.S. president Thomas Jefferson once said: “For two years we have not heard from our ambassador in Spain; if we again do not hear from him this year, we should write him a letter” (Rosenthal, 2012). The paradigm shift between 18th century diplomacy and the modern day era could not be greater. New communication and technology innovations have had a vast impact on both velocity and space of diplomatic practices; and the situation which Jefferson describes would be unthinkable in the 21st century. What's more, the characterization of a modern diplomat has shifted from maintaining confidential relations with the foreign minister of the host country to a large reliance on public diplomacy i.e. canvassing support for the diplomatic objectives of its own government through soft power (Sucharipa, 2003, p. 182). Showcasing that –despite ceaseless conceptual changes– diplomacy as a profession continues to survive. Nevertheless, while we’re at the dawn of this hyper-connected era facilitated by rapidly expanding arsenal of different communication technologies, one must wonder where diplomacy is heading to? In this essay I will contextualize the role of the modern diplomat within current diplomatic policy, and argue that due to the rise and establishment of social media –inter alia– new challenges have ascended; and how these affected the framework in which diplomats are operative. I will mainly focus on the United States, due to their pioneering role in re-shaping the modern diplomat and conclude with the Netherlands; a midsized country whose diplomatic service is on the verge of being revolutionized.
Theorizing Diplomacy and Diplomats on Their Own Terms
International Studies Review, 2011
Diplomatic Theory of International Relations. By Paul Sharp. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2009. 339 pp., 90.00hardcover(ISBN−13:978−0−521−76026−3),90.00 hardcover (ISBN-13: 978-0-521-76026-3), 90.00hardcover(ISBN−13:978−0−521−76026−3),32.99 paperback (ISBN-13: 978-0-521-75755-3). Sharp's basic thesis in Diplomatic Theory of International Relations is that it is possible to identify a specifically diplomatic tradition of thinking, or theory, about international relations, one that contributes to international relations in particular and to human relations in general. Sharp grounds this unconventional notion of diplomatic theory, which is more tacit than explicit, in the leading ideas of diplomats and those who study them, arguing that it arises from “what diplomats themselves have had to say about international relations” (p. 7). In other words, diplomatic theory is “a coherent and distinctive set of propositions about international relations” (p. 7) that emerges organically from the diaries, histories, and memoirs of diplomats. In developing his thesis, Sharp challenges the supremacy of state-based realism. He also deals with the enduring problem that, even for students of international relations, diplomacy and diplomats remain something of a mystery, one that is compounded by the paradoxical inability of diplomats to “provide much insight into how and why diplomacy works” (p. 2). Sharp, however, chooses not to explicate and demystify diplomacy and diplomats by seeking easy solutions in universal claims. Rather, he chooses an unorthodox path, inviting us to consider the limits and complexities inherent in thinking and acting diplomatically. In Part One, Sharp&#;s theoretical framework draws directly on English School theory and method, with assessments of how diplomacy and diplomats …
The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, 2015
We traditionally see diplomats as mediators. They build bridges between nations and they repair them when they break. During a crisis, diplomats ‘keep it cool’ and try to prevent the crisis from worsening into armed conflict. Diplomats are the men and women who keep the international system running despite its fundamentally conflictual nature. At least, this is how diplomats have portrayed their profession for hundreds of years. However, the focus of this contribution is how diplomacy in general is seen as mediating among states, peoples and ideas — and why this is an incomplete view. This short contribution is therefore concerned with the way in which scholarly understandings of diplomacy as the mediation of estrangement raise — but also evade — questions of power and responsibility