Diplomacy

In today’s complex and interconnected world, knowledge of international relations may be more important than ever before. This course introduces students to enduring debates in the study of international relations and to the historical background that makes them understandable. Among the questions asked are whether conflict or cooperation most characterizes international relations, whether international organizations can be influential actors in the international system, and whether morality can play an important role in global affairs. The fundamental debates and questions of international relations are examined in the first half of the course through study of twentieth-century international history and in the second half of the course through study of the contemporary world. The module will give a broad overview of the discipline of international relations, engaging with the scope of study, key theories and concepts, and will ground these in a historical overview of the international system since 1945. Key historical themes are highlighted to demonstrate changes in the patterns and conduct of world politics. These include: the origins of the Cold War; the New World Order bruited at the end of the Cold War, and the latest phase of globalization.

The research project starts out from the premise that the symbolic orders of any society should include constant typological distinctions, such as 1) spatial order, 2) movement order, and 3) speech order. All these orders involve time-dependent configurations of symbols, which are represented in systems of 1) proxemic, 2) kinetic, and 3) verbal signs. The results of this semiotic analysis are summarized in my postdoctoral thesis, which I presented to the faculty of sociology and history at the University of Constance (Germany). The study examined processes of standardization and differentiation of verbal and nonverbal behavioral patterns (such as dance, fencing, greeting, politeness in speech and comportment, etc.) in the context of establishing diplomatic and court ceremonial in Germany, Ottoman Empire, Russia and France. Communicative practices in Eastern and Western Europe have been studied comparatively. The phenomenon of the so-called modernization of behavior has been considered with regard to the dissolution of traditional forms of community and the emergence of formal and bureaucratic structures of communication. The author has attempted to develop sociological frameworks in order to explain cases of unsuccessful nonverbal communication as well as cases of failed integration in the twentieth century.

The notion of Legacy was intrinsic to London’s 2012 bid, drawing upon the Olympic Spirit in the form of personal challenges designed to motivate and mobilize individuals and communities in Britain and around the world. However, with the economic crisis and change in government in 2010, a distinct discourse of economic legacy also emerged. This increasingly saw the citizen mobilization associated with the Games in terms of “an unparalleled opportunity to promote UK business, trade and inward investment”. This paper explores the state, citizen and corporate mobilizations motivated by the Olympics, which utilized its symbols, spirit and legacy in contrasting and combative ways. It positions these trends amid increased public dissent towards austerity and corporate influence as evidenced by the England riots, the Occupy movement, and anti-Olympics protests. Together, these threads suggest a number of overlapping and competing Olympic legacies characterized by complex forms of citizen, public and private engagement.

"In this project have examined how the Nargono-Karabakh Republic’s ability to conduct foreign policy is affected by their unrecognised status. To understand how the foreign policy is conducted by an unrecognised state as Nagorno-Karabakh Republic, we have interviewed Hovhannes Gevorgian, diplomat on the diplomatic representation of Nagorno-Karabakh Repunlic in Paris, about which abilities and difficulties Nagorno-Karabakh Republic have in conducting foreign policy. We have also used secondary empirical material to construct our analysis.
In the project, we have shown how the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is able to conduct foreign policy, even though they are unrecognised by the rest of the world and thereby excluded from the official international community."

"Since December 2009, the European Union has been represented abroad by more than 130 delegations, which are an integral part of the new European External Action Service (EEAS). This paper explores the performance and potential of the delegations in contributing to a common EU foreign policy.
The delegations have to strike the right balance between performing the functions of traditional diplomatic missions, while also representing the EU as a political entity that is more than an international organization, but less than a state. The delegations act as a bridge between nascent EU diplomacy and the national diplomacies of the member states. They are also microcosms that gather together under one roof different elements of the EU’s external relations, ranging from the Common Foreign and Security Policy to trade and aid, energy and migration.
The delegations have been rather successful in their three main tasks: representing the Union towards third countries, coordinating and providing services to the member states, and contributing to EU policy-making. This paper focuses on two key locations, Moscow and Washington, where the delegations are becoming visible diplomatic actors providing added value to member states as well as EU institutions. The authors argue that, following on from an early albeit cautious success, the delegations should take a stronger role in providing input into EU policy-making, promoting European interests abroad, and advancing consensus among member states’ representatives in the field. The EEAS headquarters should build a stronger link to the delegations, through more active political steering and by endeavouring to make more systematic use of the work on the ground."