Political Science 4xxx: Diplomacy and the Internet

Course Introduction

Diplomacy is the process by which sovereign states and other actors like international organizations, transnational entities and, increasingly, non-governmental organizations talk with one another.

They undertake it for a variety of purposes: to exchange information; to bargain; and sometimes simply to represent themselves to one another to obtain the recognition which "proves" they exist.

Historically, it was undertaken only by people, usually members of a specialized elite, with official standing. Only they and their political leaders could speak authoritatively to one another on behalf of those they represented.

One of the major developments of diplomacy in the Twentieth Century was the broadening of conventions regarding what kind of actors were entitled to be represented from just sovereign states to international organizations like the UN and non-governmental organizations like Doctors Without Boundaries.

Another was a broadening of conventions regarding by whom they might be represented from officials accredited by governments specifically for the job to international civil servants, lobbyists and, possibly, particular individuals of high moral, financial or celebrity standing.

It is frequently claimed that current developments in communications and information technologies are accelerating these trends by transforming the conditions in which diplomacy is undertaken.

This is so, it is argued, because the effectiveness of diplomats depends on the following:

• their privileged access to information which it is hard for others to obtain;
• their exclusive possession of the expertise which can utilize that information; and,
• broad acceptance within societies of the idea that experts should enjoy the privileges and immunities which will let them do their jobs effectively.

All these preconditions are being undermined by the explosion of information which is accessible to virtually anyone (in the rich part of the world, at least), and by the rise is in popular and democratic expectations which has accompanied that explosion. In the words of a recent Foreign Policy Centre document, potentially everyone one now can be an ambassador, representing their country or, indeed, representing anything they think is important.

Of course, the demise of diplomacy has been proclaimed before. Nineteenth Century European diplomats feared that the telegram and the telephone would ruin it by giving no one time to consider and carefully formulate their responses in times of crisis. A famous Canadian prime minister, Pierre Trudeau, once famously asked why Canada needed diplomats in an era of jet travel when he could go and see for himself after reading first rate reports in his daily newspaper before leaving.

And it was claimed in "The CNN Effect" report that during the Gulf War in 1990-1 all the governments involved used television broadcasts, not only as sources of information, but also as a medium for signalling to one another. The diplomats, it appeared were reduced to irrelevance except, as in the famous case of April Glaspie's interview with Saddam Hussein when she allegedly gave the green light ot his attack on Kuwait (she did not), they screw up. Even a screw up, however, suggests that the claim that diplomats have become irrelevant is an exagerration at best and that the story is more complicated even, perhaps especially, in the era of the Internet and the World Wide Web

Course Objectives and Methods

First, to introduce you to the world of professional diplomacy by reading and discussing some key texts in diplomatic theory, extracts from some think tank reports on the present state of diplomacy; and some memoirs and comments of retired or serving diplomats;

Second, to allow you to examine in some detail how the profession is attempting to deal with the challenges and opportunities presented to it by contemporary developments in information technologies by constructing a foreign ministry or embassy website for an imaginary country situated in a real geographic region (eg Ruritania , the imaginary country in the Prisoner of Zenda trilogy, is supposed to be in South Eastern Europe and The Duchy of Grand Fenwick in the Peter Sellars' movie, The Mouse That Roared, is supposed to be in Central Europe). Some very good examples of real sites can be found at Foreign Ministry web sites and Embassy web sites both of which can be found on the web site of the Diplomatic Studies Program (DSP) at the University of Leicester's Center for the Study of Diplomacy, and at EmbassyWorld.com.

Third, to allow you to experience some of these developments first hand and to develop some of the associated skills by conducting a virtual diplomatic negotiation on a major international problem by a variety of methods including message boards under Web Crossing and e mail. We will attempt to replicate the bilateral and multilateral negotiations leading up to the Rambouillet Accords in March 1999, with you as one of the participants (US, UK, France, Germany, Yugoslavia, the Albanian Kosovars etc.) and me as God. We will attempt to improve upon the historical outcome of that conference.

Course Expectations

• Attend each class prepared to discuss the assigned readings;
• Design a foreign ministry or embassy web site for an imaginary country in a real geographic area;
• Participate in an on line simulation of an international negotiation;
• Write a position paper commenting on the negotiation and explaining and justifying your own position, role and subsequent course of action within it.

Assignment

# points

Date Due

Web Site construction

Week One

Week Two

Week Three

Week Four

Week Five

Week Six

Week Seven

Week Eight

Week Nine

Week Ten

Week Eleven

Week Twelve

Week Thirteen

Week Fourteen

Conclusions