State Diplomacy Research Articles

‘Localitis’ in State Diplomacy: A Study on Cultural Immersion and its Effects on the Indian Foreign Service

Literature in Diplomatic Studies often reference a phenomenon where diplomats sent for too long to another country develop an affinity for their assigned country, sometimes to the detriment of their home country. This has profound implications when we examine diplomatic agents as personalities in their own right and their ability to perform as state agents. This article investigates the basis of such a claim by examining the Indian diplomatic corps as a case study to verify its validity and enlist the factors that influence this phenomenon. This article relies on interviews given by former diplomats of the Indian Foreign Service to highlight the structures that influence behaviour of diplomatic agents and the implications it may have on training for future diplomats and preparing them for the evolution of diplomacy in the technological age.

Economic diplomacy: pandemic effect

The article analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic crisis on the foreign policy and diplomacy of states, including economic diplomacy. ED is interpreted as a multi-sided multi-faceted activity, an integral part of foreign policy aimed at protecting the national interests and economic security of the country. Given the interdepartmental nature of the ED, the presence of numerous actors and agents, not only state, but also public and business structures, political and foreign economic coordination on the part of the Foreign Ministries is of great importance, and this role of foreign policy departments is increasing during the pandemic crisis. The activity of the ED of Russia in 2020 was generally successful, among the main results: active participation of diplomats in the anti-epidemic work of the Government of the Russian Federation, including export flights, provision of emergency assistance by compatriots abroad, assistance to foreign countries; measures to promote the Russian vaccine in the world, establish its production abroad, and thus win new world markets for medicines; settlement of the pricing crisis on the world oil market with the leading role of Russia and Saudi Arabia; adjustment of double taxation agreements with a number of foreign countries, taking into account the domestic economic needs of the country; the growing experience of BRICS, this interstate association, which did not know the crisis, including its fight against epidemiological diseases, during the period of Russia’s presidency in the BRICS; further steps to deepen integration within the EAEU; Russia’s success in the eastern direction of foreign policy, in the development of trade exchanges and epidemiological cooperation with the ASEAN and APEC states. The new world crisis has become a catalyst for the convergence of ED methods with scientific and public diplomacy, with other diplomatic cultures that can be combined under the general name of civil diplomacy. Such a separation is required to protect the legacy of professional diplomacy, the popularity and use of which methods is growing significantly. ED, as an integral part of official diplomacy, is presented as a mediator between classical and civil diplomacy. It provides civil society with an example of the more rigorous, pragmatic, resultsoriented work that the current pandemic crisis requires.

Economic Diplomacy. Pandemic effect

The article analyzes the impact of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic crisis on the foreign policy and diplomacy of states, including economic diplomacy. ED is interpreted as a multi-sided multi-faceted activity, an integral part of foreign policy aimed at protecting the national interests and economic security of the country. Given the interdepartmental nature of the ED, the presence of numerous actors and agents, not only state, but also public and business structures, political and foreign economic coordination on the part of the Foreign Ministries is of great importance, and this role of foreign policy departments is increasing during the pandemic crisis. The activity of the ED of Russia in 2020 was generally successful, among the main results: active participation of diplomats in the anti-epidemic work of the Government of the Russian Federation, including export fl ights, provision of emergency assistance by compatriots abroad, assistance to foreign countries; — measures to promote the Russian vaccine in the world, establish its production abroad, and thus win new world markets for medicines; — settlement of the pricing crisis on the world oil market with the leading role of Russia and Saudi Arabia; — adjustment of double taxation agreements with a number of foreign countries, taking into account the domestic economic needs of the country; — the growing experience of BRICS, this interstate association, which did not know the crisis, including its fi ght against epidemiological diseases, during the period of Russia's presidency in the BRICS; — further steps to deepen integration within the EAEU; — Russia's success in the eastern direction of foreign policy, in the development of trade exchanges and epidemiological cooperation with the ASEAN and APEC states. The new world crisis has become a catalyst for the convergence of ED methods with scientifi c and public diplomacy, with other diplomatic cultures that can be combined under the general name of civil diplomacy. Such a separation is required to protect the legacy of professional diplomacy, the popularity and use of which methods is growing signifi cantly. ED, as an integral part of offi cial diplomacy, is presented as a mediator between classical and civil diplomacy. It provides civil society with an example of the more rigorous, pragmatic, results-oriented work that the current pandemic crisis requires.

Economic diplomacy of Central American states towards key extraregional partners

The article deals with the economic diplomacy of Central American states towards key extraregional partners, namely the USA, the EU and the PRC. The features of these relations and existing problems and challenges are revealed. The positive dynamics of the economic cooperation and adverse impact on the social and economic development of the Central American countries are traced.

Politička partijska diplomatija s kineskim karakteristikama tokom sedam decenija od osnivanja NR Kine - inovacije u teoriji i praksi

Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, the Communist Party of China has found itself in a complicated international situation and arduous development tasks. The CPC has steadily promoted its foreign exchanges in the process of inheritance and development. It has achieved leaps in practice of the theoretical innovations in party to party diplomacy with Chinese characteristics, which contributed significantly to the central missions of the Party and the nation, as well as the overall strategy of the state diplomacy. Starting at a new historical phase, it is crucial to summarize the experience of the practical and theoretical innovations in party to party diplomacy with Chinese characteristics. It is also of great importance to discover the basic logic and principles therein. All of which would provide practical significance for promoting a benign interaction between the practice and theory of party to party diplomacy, and make greater contribution.

Compass for public/private management in turbulent times: corporate diplomacy

The 21st century is characterised by grand challenges, external shocks and global fragilities, such as economic volatility and societal upheaval in our interconnected communities. International business managers must adapt to consider geopolitics as relevant to their activities, to integrate political risk analyses into their business decisions. International society is in need of content-sensitive orientation knowledge to reassess, adjust and accommodate diplomacy's essentials (human factor interactions) to new expectations of the public sphere. In a qualitative leap towards a change of mindset, decision-makers should learn to think and act responsibly through the middle of conflictual situations towards compromise and consensus, thus managing politics through diplomacy. Transnational corporations can profit from traditional state diplomacy in order to create a reliable working environment and to anticipate and avoid costly conflicts, if they practice Corporate Diplomacy as a key concept of trusted and coordinated collaboration with government and local host communities. Corporations adhering to the diplomatic communication tool of Corporate Diplomacy are also gaining legitimacy and political influence over the development of societies.

Ambassadeurs op het sportfront

Abstract Ambassadors on the Sports Front: Sports, Politics and Diplomacy during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) This article examines the role of sports in the international politics and diplomacy of nation states in wartime. Through a case study on public diplomacy during the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939), this article shows how sport could influence international public opinion. By focussing on some lesser-known international sporting events from this period, such as the 1937 Labour Olympiad in Antwerp, this article will move away from the dominant focus in sports history on mega-events such as the Olympic Games. Although research about the relationship between sports and diplomacy has grown in recent years, it has barely taken into account the influence of a war context on sport and diplomacy. This article attempts to fill this gap by analysing left-wing Belgian and Spanish newspapers, archives of the Belgian workers' sports movement, and unused source material from the FIFA archive.

Small State Diplomacy after the Corona Crisis

Summary The aim of this essay is to discuss and assess the effects of the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic on small state diplomacy. The essay identifies the characteristics of successful small state crisis diplomacy and unpacks the implications for small state diplomacy in general. Small states crave stability and predictability and seek shelter from international institutions and great powers. International crises are understood as particularly acute for small states because the limited capacity and capabilities of these states leave them with a small margin of time and error and vulnerable to risks and threats. However, small state diplomacy in the spring 2020 corona crisis illustrates the potential of activist small state diplomacy using smart and entrepreneurial policies to forge plurilateralist small- and middle-power co-operation.

Izrael i Jordania – dwadzieścia pięć lat po traktacie pokojowym

Twenty-five years after the conclusion of the peace treaty, Israel and Jordan are bound by security partnership and limited economic cooperation. People-to-people relations remain problematic. State-to-nation imbalance occurring on both sides of the relationship has undermined the achievements of the cooperation so far, and the uncertainty regarding the American politics in the region intensifies tensions which grow due to the deadlock in the Israeli-Palestinian relations. The role of the United States as a hegemon guaranteeing the state of ‘cold’ peace is decreasing and this, in turn, activates the diplomacy of states comprising the region as well as other world powers. Finding a satisfactory solution to the Palestinian question conditions the implementation of regional cooperation projects, which are a necessary answer to the new trans-border challenges, such as those related to climate change, that influence the internal stability of the states and the state of peace in the region.

Corporate Diplomacy Strategy and Instruments; With a Discussion about “Corporate Diplomacy and Cyclical Dynamics of Open Innovation”

This paper delves into the manner in which some Multinational Corporations (MNCs) manage corporate diplomacy as a catalyst of their political, social, and cultural influence in foreign markets. Once the related literature is reviewed, the qualitative Focus Group technique is applied by creating two teams of nine business internationalization experts, chosen amongst university professors; representatives of institutions and organizations, such as Chambers of Commerce or embassies; MNCs’ executives and lobbyists; and high-level representatives of Spanish state diplomacy. This contribution verifies that corporate diplomacy is known and clearly distinguished from other similar functions within the company in Spain; nevertheless, it is admitted that, in the case of Spanish MNCs, the arrival of corporate diplomacy is delayed. Secondly, we present the four key instruments to exert influence and, in turn, the most necessary ones to implement corporate diplomacy strategies: networking with external stakeholders, competitive intelligence, corporate reputation, and lobbying actions. Additionally, this paper shows that some MNCs coexist with other types of diplomacy—e.g., state or political, public and commercial diplomacy, although most do not yet do so autonomously, especially the Spanish MNCs. However, MNCs foster the perception that they assume, in a certain way, the role of the nation-states. This paper’s contribution is to establish that the current cross-border relational framework requires corporations to develop a true foreign policy and acquire a diplomatic know-how to strategically manage their influence in the countries where they operate so that they can obtain a “social license to operate” and generate favorable business environments. Finally, a short discussion about possible connections between corporate diplomacy and cyclical dynamics of open innovation is included, where engagement of external stakeholders and culture understanding are the main points in common identified.

(Nearly) Outside the Shadow of Hierarchy: An Enquiry into the Teleology of Municipal Paradiplomacy in the EU

Summary Local authorities have increasingly deployed instruments and practises proper of the international diplomatic repertoire—a phenomenon referred in the literature as paradiplomacy. These state-like diplomatic praxes, ranging from participating in transnational networks to signing international agreements, hint at an increased room for manoeuvre for local authorities, in that they occur without the intervention and control of the central state. While emulating states’ international behaviour, municipal paradiplomacy displays distinctive features and purposes. Drawing on the scholarship on paradiplomacy, this article provides a theoretical reflection on the teleology of municipal paradiplomatic practices. By proceeding through parallelism with state diplomacy’s objectives, this article identifies three functional equivalents that constitute the primary teloi of paradiplomacy; namely, municipal self-determination, influence and contention. By delving into the aims of municipal paradiplomacy, the article points out how municipal paradiplomacy constitutes a valuable means for municipalities to progressively free themselves from the grip of the central state.

Формування соціально-інституційного конструкту цифрової дипломатії

Формування соціально-інституційного конструкту цифрової дипломатії

Diplomatic documents data for international relations: the Freedom of Information Archive Database

We introduce the Freedom of Information Archive (FOIArchive) Database, a collection of over 3 million documents about state diplomacy. Substantively, our database focusses on the USA and provides opportunities to analyze previously classified (or publicly unavailable) corpora of internal government documents which include the raw—often full—text of those documents. We also provide within-country diplomatic records for the USA, UK, and Brazil. The full span of the data is 1620–2013, but it is mainly from the twentieth century. Our database allows scholars to view text and associated statistics online and to download and view customized datasets via an application programming interface. We provide extensive metadata about the documents, including the countries and persons they mention, and their topics and classification levels. The metadata includes information we extracted with domain-specific, customized natural language processing tools. To demonstrate the potential of this data, we use it to design and validate a new index for “country importance” in the context of US foreign policy priorities.

Diplomacy in the 21st Century: A Crossroad for ‘Small States’ Amidst Global Power Play

Whereas diplomacy in international relations still remain to be the use of negotiations and discussions in the daily interactions of states and non – state actors, the former takes precedence without a minimalist approach to what the former brings to diplomacy in the world system. The imperative of diplomacy has spread from its inception to the contemporary pitting its practicality with what the discipline ought to be. In this scenario, the traditionally big states seem to be cognizant that the ‘small states’ have a central place for proper global balance of power and to their success. This robust – dynamic nature of diplomacy creates crossroads of a kind in the 21 st Century. In this matrix, this paper would want to interrogate the central idea by; examining changes in diplomacy through to the 21 st Century, assess the systemic vis a vis practical attributes of diplomacy in global power play of the 21 st Century, and finally to establish possible strategies that ‘small states’ can take in their diplomacy in the 21 st Century. At the end of this discourse, the field of diplomacy will have been enriched by suggestions that diplomacy as a practice and a language among modern states is about what works – this being the reason for its constant change. The study will also underscore that ‘small state diplomacy’ is bound to re-ignite the Westphalian principle of equality of states in the 21 st Century despite size and other dispositional attributes of states. The exigency/flashpoint of the 21 st Century is its proneness to being an open field for practical purposes due to technology explosion. Keywords: Diplomacy, Practical Diplomacy, Small State Diplomacy, Global Power Play, Traditional Diplomacy, Modern Diplomacy, 21 st Century Diplomacy DOI: 10.7176/IAGS/83-04 Publication date: June 30 th 2020

Public Diplomacy of small states: case of Kosovo

paper aims to elaborate and analyse the public diplomacy of small states, the case of Kosovo. Today in the era of globalization and in a world with some powerful states the development of foreign policy and diplomacy is very important and difficult especially for small countries. Small countries with limited capacities should see the need to focus foreign policy and diplomacy in areas as specific and interest as possible. Public diplomacy is an effective tool that small states should use to benefit and promote their interests. The purpose of this paper is to provide information and guidance to the drafters and promoters of public diplomacy of small states with emphasis on the state of Kosovo. Goals and profits can be achieved by specifying areas where public diplomacy can be conducted, especially in Kosovo through cultural and sports diplomacy. The methodology used during the paper is based on the analysis of various materials and resources related to public diplomacy, which through discretionary, analytical, historical and observational methods we have tried to discuss the importance of public diplomacy of small countries, case of Kosovo. In order to have a clearer and more concrete result, we have elaborated on the case of Kosovo and its public diplomacy. Based on this study as a conclusion we can say that Kosovo still needs to focus on public diplomacy and its promotion especially in the areas of cultural and sports diplomacy

Innovation and Industry 4.0 as a part of small state diplomacy

Innovation and Industry 4.0 are topical issues in the era of globalization in many countries around the world. The article focuses on the international practice of small states and the role of innovation as a topic of their foreign policy and diplomacy. The article aims to evaluate the position of the innovation theme in the portfolio of typical issues of diplomatic practice. The aim is to find out to what extent the attention is paid to innovation concerning the country’s economic diplomacy and what the prospects for further development are. In the first part, the text will focus on the theoretical definition of the theme of innovation and its anchoring in the diplomacy of small states. The second part introduces the situation from the practice of small states in a broader perspective and brings examples of successful integration of the innovation theme into the strategic plans of small states. The third part maps the contemporary trends and the presence of innovation diplomacy in Czech practice. Attention will be paid mainly to the national level, both from a strategic and instrumental point of view. Using a comparison of successful examples from abroad with the current situation in Czechia, it is possible to identify critical elements that can contribute to a better understanding of the topic by contemporary Czech practice.

Middle Power Diplomacy of Global Swing States in Internet Governance: Cases from Brazil, India and South Korea

Middle Power Diplomacy of Global Swing States in Internet Governance: Cases from Brazil, India and South Korea

English language assistants in the 21st century

AbstractAlthough the figure of the English language assistant (ELA) dates back a long while, its current popularity is unprecedented in some areas of the world. Such is the case of Spain, where the goal of raising English standards among the younger generations has become a national obsession. Using critical ethnographic methods, this paper examines the experience of three British LAs placed in secondary schools in Barcelona. It draws on a focused case study of one of them – combined with ethnographic snapshots of the other two, interviews with school teachers and regional programme administrators, relevant programme publications, and social media data. The analysis reveals three major tensions shaping the ELA experience in the 21st century revolving around: (a) the underspecified and unskilled nature of the job; (b) its culturalist imagination and state diplomacy mission; and (c) the native speaker ideology constituting itsraison d’être. This paper provides new insights into the intertwining of the ELT infrastructure with global travel and tourism capitalised as skill boosters for employability purposes, and showcases the importance of foreign language education as a soft power tool.

National Systems of Scientific and Technical Information Have Potential for the Development of Scientific Diplomacy in the CIS

This paper gives an assessment of the current state of national systems of scientific and technical information (NSs STI) in the categories of regulatory framework; government model; and structure. There is a general tendency for the CIS countries to the achievement of sustainable economic development by each state through the formation and implementation of state policy, including by increasing the role of science and technology and introducing innovations in accordance with the strategic and tactical tasks of the scientific and technological development of the countries. The development of national STI systems helps to improve the exchange of scientific and technical information, the formation of common scientific interests, and the expansion of international cooperation. Scientific and technical information resources that are concentrated in the national STI systems are the main potential for the development of scientific diplomacy and integration of the CIS member states into the information space. A proposal is formulated on the feasibility of creating a specialized electronic interdepartmental information and analytical system covering federal ministries, academies of sciences, scientific foundations, development institutions (with powers and finances for coordinated competitions), research institutes, universities and other organizations in the international sphere of scientific and technical cooperation in general and, in particular, in the CIS. Such a system will contribute to the coordination of planning joint projects, financing, the development of scientific state expertise, selection of promising research areas, topics of competitions and evaluation of the results of research and development. The format of bilateral international cooperation in joint scientific projects of the CIS countries is a promising mechanism for scientific diplomacy, introduction of innovations aimed at integrating the scientific and technological space of the CIS, and helping to strengthen the security of each CIS member state and the Commonwealth as a whole.

The Evolution of the European Union Diplomacy within the Framework of the European External Action Service

Yapısı ve işleyiş özellikleri itibariyle kendine özgü bir bütünleşme modeli olan Avrupa Birliği (AB)bir devlet olmamasına rağmen devlet egemenliğinin en önemli sembollerinden biri olan diplomasiyihem kullanmakta hem de kendine özgü bir yapıda geliştirmektedir. AB’nin uluslararası aktörlüğü ileyakından ilgili olan AB diplomasisi Maastricht Antlaşması ile yapısallaşmaya ve kurumsallaşmayabaşlamışsa da 1 Aralık 2009 tarihinde yürürlüğe giren ve AB’nin uluslararası aktörlüğünü güçlendirenLizbon Antlaşması’nın getirdiği yenilikler neticesinde yeni bir zemin kazanmıştır. Antlaşma ile AB’nindiplomatik birimi olarak kurulması kararlaştırılan Avrupa Dış Eylemler Servisi (ADES), AB’ninVestfalyan diplomasi olarak da adlandırılabilecek geleneksel diplomasiye bir meydan okumasıdır.Ancak, geçen altmış yılı aşkın zaman diliminde küresel gelişmelere uyum adına diplomasi anlayışındadeğişiklikler yapılmış olsa da ulusal diplomatik sistemler AB içindeki baskınlığını sürdürmektedir.Bu çalışmada AB’nin Lizbon Antlaşması ile oluşturulmaya çalışılan diplomatik sisteminin neölçüde geleneksel devlet merkezli diplomasiden ayrıldığı ve nasıl ulusal diplomasilerin hâlâ egemensistemler olarak varlıklarını devam ettirdiği tartışılacaktır. Çalışmanın amacı, ADES’in kurulduğugünden itibaren gösterdiği performansı değerlendirmek yerine yirmi birinci yüzyılda değişen küreseldiplomatik sistemin ışığında, AB diplomasisinin nasıl şekillendiğini ve AB’nin diplomatik aktörüolarak ADES’in diplomasi anlayışını ve yapısını ortaya koymaktır. Lizbon Antlaşması’nın yürürlüğegirişinin onuncu yıl dönümü olması sebebiyle konuya tekrar dikkat çekmekte ve AB’nin diplomatikgelişimini tartışmakta fayda olduğu düşünülmektedir.