Diplomacy and Foreign Policy Analysis

Aim

After completion of the course the student should be able to

• display a deeper understanding of the history of diplomacy and how the development of diplomatic practices has been affected by and in turn has affected the conditions of international relations and foreign policy;
• analyze and understand diplomacy as an instrument of statecraft and as an institution of historical and contemporary international society;
• identify and understand the various forms and expressions of diplomacy in the contemporary world;
• analyze and understand processes of international mediation and negotiations from a theoretical as well as practical point of view.

Content

Modern diplomacy is a variable field of actors, objectives, resources and strategies of international politics. This course offers an overview as well as deepened perspectives on the roles and forms of diplomacy in the contemporary international system. The ends and means of diplomacy are thus situated within a wider framework of foreign policy analysis. The course initially deals with the history and development of diplomacy and various traditions of foreign policy analysis. The latter part of the course focuses on understanding contemporary diplomatic practices, e.g. multilateral diplomacy and international negotiations, mediation, and public diplomacy.