International Diplomacy

1. International Diplomacy International College KhonKaen University Week 2 – The Role of Diplomacy - Power and Diplomacy

2. The Role of Diplomacy • We have looked briefly at why governments need to consult together (international relations), and • We noted that governments develop foreign policies – strategies to enhance their security, welfare and prestige • This week we focus on diplomacy’s role in foreign policy implementation

3. The Role of Diplomacy • Foreign policy-making has two separate stages: • The policy-making decisions on what a country’s foreign policy should be • The implementation of that policy (the how) • The policy-making process is largely a political one, agreed at a party (political) level to appeal to voters and to secure the political fortunes of the party in power

4. The Role of Diplomacy • The implementation process is very often non-political; it is largely the responsibility of officials • But the “what” and the “how” stages cannot be separated easily • The policy-making and the policy implementation are parts of a continuous and interactive process

5. The Role of Diplomacy • The four main functions of diplomats (see Week 1 notes) all contain elements of policy-making and of implementation • Diplomacy as a government activity is mainly concerned with foreign policy implementation

6. The Role of Diplomacy • Diplomats are normally officials who work closely with senior government ministers of their home country (in socialist countries directly with the party in power) • But government leaders – Ministers and government politicians - are also diplomats when abroad and representing the foreign policy interests of their government

7. The Role of Diplomacy • Every government has a specialized agency devoted to foreign policy • This usually takes the form of a Ministry (or Department) of Foreign Affairs linked to a network of embassies and consulates abroad • The Ministry and all its diplomatic missions overseas are often referred to as the diplomatic machinery of government

8. The Role of Diplomacy • This diplomatic machinery represents an important policy instrument in its own right • Communication and negotiation (“pure diplomacy”) is sometimes sufficient to achieve some or all of a state’s foreign policy objectives • Most often however diplomacy is linked to other policy tools (“mixed diplomacy”)

9. The Role of Diplomacy • In mixed diplomacy the use, or threatened use, of other tools becomes a factor in implementing foreign policy • These other tools of foreign policy include: • trade and economic sanctions • travel restrictions (another from of sanction) • international shame • Diplomacy usually has comparative advantages over other tools in terms of availability, cost and reputation

10. The Role of Diplomacy • Smaller states and developing countries are handicapped as effective international actors by having smaller and less well trained diplomatic machinery • They also have a more restricted range of supporting policy tools • They can partly overcome these weaknesses by working together with other countries with similar interests

11. The Role of Diplomacy • This explains the growing importance of regionalism and internationalism in international diplomacy • Bilateral diplomacy is increasingly being supplemented by regional and multilateral forms of diplomacy • Globalization and interdependence are challenging traditional state-to-state diplomacy (and the importance of nation states in international relations)

12. Power and diplomacy • States use diplomacy as their first choice in implementing foreign policy • Pure diplomacy is easier, cheaper and more honorable than mixed diplomacy • But even pure diplomacy is almost never a process of communication and negotiation between equals • Every state has its own set of strengths and weaknesses which influence the nature and the timing of diplomatic exchanges

13. Power and diplomacy • It makes little difference if a diplomatic negotiation is about cooperation, competition or confrontation – the relative power of the states involved influences the negotiation • Power is an important element of diplomacy • National power is the sum of a country’s assets that enhance its ability to get its way • But measuring power is difficult

14. Power and diplomacy • Some aspects of power (military strength, economic strength) can be measured • Other aspects of power (military morale, security of the government, intelligence) are almost impossible to measure

15. Power and diplomacy • Some of the major measurable aspects of a country’s power: • Its geography (location, terrain, size, climate) • Its people (population, education levels, age) • Its government (stability and legitimacy) • Its military strength and spending • Its national economy (GDP, resources, industrial output, agricultural output) • Its infrastructure (communications, transport, technology, R&D capabilities)

16. Power and diplomacy

17. Power and diplomacy • All these aspects of power serve as a backdrop to diplomatic negotiations • The importance of different aspects of power varies according to the subject under negotiation: • In free trade talks, the size of a country’s economy, market and resources are most important • In negotiations on nuclear proliferation, countries with access to nuclear fuels and technology will be the major participants

18. Power and diplomacy • The relative power of two or more countries in a negotiation will also determine its diplomatic stance: • Smaller, weaker countries will seek to cooperate with other countries and will often be more willing to compromise • A large and powerful country will have less interest in compromise or in seeking consensus

19. Power and diplomacy • Although diplomacy is heavily influenced by power considerations, the post-Cold War era is notable for an increasingly rights-based, internationalist approach • Since the early 1980s there has been a greater emphasis on what is right, fair and “in everyone’s interest”: • development considerations • equity issues • human rights issues • environmental issues • freedom from nuclear threats

20. Power and diplomacy • Greed and naked self-interest win few friends internationally – and every country needs friends • The “soft power” of pure diplomacy is displacing the “hard power” of mixed diplomacy on many issues • This trend is supported by the increasing body of international law and rules-based international organizations – all countries are subject (in theory at least) to the same laws and rules

21. Power and diplomacy • Failure to abide by these laws and rules can lead to international censure, isolation and/or retaliatory action