The role of parliamentary diplomacy in the Mediterranean

Abstract

At least since the Peace of Westphalia in 1648, the traditional international State System was founded on the sole principle that States and their sovereigns were the only actors worth studying with the Executive as the only important actor in foreign policy. Nevertheless, throughout the last decades, a variety of factors and actors have changed, with the importance of the regions as well as parliaments being only two of such changes. Nowadays, parliamentary entities have emerged as international actors in their own right. 'Parliamentary diplomacy' represents a phenomenon that has not yet been given the necessary attention. Its impact is rather difficult to assess, especially with regard to international conflict resolution. This thesis proposes to examine the role of parliamentary diplomacy in the Mediterranean Region. It begins with the history and developments of parliamentary diplomacy, looking into the practice of parliamentary diplomacy. It continues by discussing the Mediterranean situation with regards to parliamentary diplomacy, and it focuses on the Parliamentary Assembly of the Mediterranean. The concluding chapter of this thesis deals with suggestions as to what needs to be done in the future in order to have a more effective parliamentary diplomacy.