| CODE | IRL2089 | |||||||||
| TITLE | Further Studies in Diplomacy | |||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 02 - Years 2, 3 in Modular Undergraduate Course | |||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | Not Applicable | |||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 4 | |||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | International Relations | |||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | 1. DIPLOMACY - Various Definitions of, as distinguished from Foreign Policy, International Relations and International Law but vitally inter-acting with them;- Various Types of, including:Bilateral/Multilateral; Public/Confidential; E-Diplomacy; Symbolic: Ping-Pong/Earthquake; Multi-stakeholder Diplomacy; - Various Themes handled, including: Security; Political; Trade; Economic; Health; Environment; Immigration; Culture; Sports; - Various Changes highlighted throughout its history and evolution especially those innovations inspired by developments in information and communications technologies. 2. DIPLOMATIC ACTORS – old, new and emergent actors exponentially increasing the domain of ‘diplomatic relations’ between: - States; sub-state jurisdictions – regional, provincial, the individual; - Intergovernmental Organizations (Global/Regional); the special case of the European Union (EU);International Institutions (Private/Public), Multi-national Corporations (MNCs); International Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs); International Media players. 3. DIPLOMATS - acquired skills and innate qualities of a 21st century diplomat: the Diplomatic Disposition; - Training pre- and post- recruitment, promotions, postings; - Tapping institutional memory; - Inter-departmental co-ordination. 4. THE DIPLOMATIC SYSTEM - FOREIGN MINISTRIES and EMBASSIES. - Rights and Duties of the Sending and Receiving States under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961; - Diplomatic Privileges and Immunities; - Various Models of Foreign Ministries’ Organization and Management: - Geographical, Thematic, Mixed, ‘flatter’ vs. ‘verticalized’ power structures; - Management models of Knowledge and Information flows within Ministries/Embassies, top/down instructions and mandates distinct from bottom/up reporting, correcting, recommending – Information ‘filtering’, enabling/disabling factors; feedback and validation; - Information officers and Chief Info Officer; - Systemic double corroboration of information flows between Foreign Ministries; examples; - Diplomatic Documents: spectrum of, to be selected according to diplomatic convenience and revocability; Dissection of Diplomatic Documents; Language and Diplomacy; - Performance Management in Foreign Ministries; 5. DIPLOMATIC OBJECTIVES AND FUNCTIONS – beyond the Vienna Convention’s generic objective of merely ‘Promoting friendly relations’ with the receiving State, and also beyond its outdated ‘Gatekeeper’ role for the Foreign Ministry by focusing on daily tasks of:- Developing ‘Outreach’ within the receiving State to actively “ascertain the conditions and developments” in the receiving State; discerning political, security and economic trends, and identifying the respective personalities and interests involved; validating diplomatic reports; - ‘Representing’ the sending State not just ceremonially but effectively with all diplomatic actors there, including the local media; lobbying, making representations also through Special Envoys; Back-channel, Dual-track and Multi-track diplomacy. - ‘Protecting’ in the receiving State the interests of the sending State and of its nationals, no longer just defensively but pro-actively; - Ensuring ‘Policy coherence’. 6. DIPLOMACY AND THE PEACEFUL SETTLEMENT OF DISPUTES: - United Nations Charter, 1945, Chapter VI, Article 33 lists negotiation, enquiry, mediation, conciliation, arbitration, judicial settlement, resort to regional agencies or arrangemnets - Diplomacy and the use of force; - Mediation compared and contrasted with other means of peaceful settlement of disputes; - Regional arrangments. 7. DIPLOMATIC NEGOTIATIONS AND PRESENTATION and the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, 1969 – a counter-factual approach re-evaluating the Convention focusing on:- - ‘Pacta sun servanda’; ‘Res inter alios acta’; ‘Rebus sic stantibus’. Study-Unit Aims: The study-unit aims to make students understand the why, how, when, where, who, what, which in the Theory and Practice of Diplomacy. To critically analyse its links to International Relations, International Law, Foreign Policy, Civil Service co-ordination, Public Relations and Good Governance. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Grasp the ongoing relevance of Diplomacy and diplomatic intercourse in a globalized world where historic advances in information and communications technologies would appear to have made Diplomacy redundant. - Increase his/her appreciation of the new range of diplomatic personae or actors and of the new themes on the diplomatic agenda. - Comprehend the constraints faced by Foreign Ministries, particularly those of Small States, in handling the New Diplomacy. - Analyse, compare and contrast reforms appropriate for 21st century Diplomacy. 2. Skills (including transferable (generic) skills) By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - Handle diplomatic representations, negotiations and exchanges both oral as well as written, diplomatic reporting and public diplomacy. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: - United Nations Charter, 1945; - Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, 1961; - Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, 1969. Supplementary Readings: Books:- - Berridge, G.R.: Diplomacy: Theory and Practice. Fourth Edition (Palgrave, Basingstoke, 2010), ISBN 978-0-230-2296-0 (pbk), xviii 242pp. - Barston R.P., “Modern diplomacy” Third Edition, Hoepli, May 2006. - Boutros, Boutros-Ghali: Unvanquished. - Gore-Booth (ed): Satow’s Guide to Diplomatic Practice (Longman, London 1979). - Kurbalija, Jovan (ed): Knowledge and Diplomacy (DiploProjects, Medac, Malta 1999). - Melissen, Jan (ed): Innovation in Diplomatic Practice (Palgrave, New York, 1999). - Nicolson, Sir Harold: Diplomacy (Institute for the Study of Diplomacy, Washington 1988). - Nicolson, H: The Evolution of Diplomatic Method (University of Leicester 1954, reprinted 1998). - Rana, Kishan: Inside Diplomacy and Rana, Kishan: Foreign Ministries (Diplo). Internet:- - Frontline Diplomacy: The Foreign Affairs Oral History Collection of the Association for Diplomatic Studies and Training www.beyondintractability.org |
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| LECTURER/S | Alex Sceberras Trigona |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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