MUN/Diplomacy/History

Diplomacy
This week in class we will run a MiniMUN to allow students to become familiar with MUN rules and procedures. The background documents for the miniMUN are posted in week 6. In the meantime, you also need to learn a bit more about diplomacy.

History and Practice of Diplomacy
Diplomacy is a term used to cover the range of formal and informal communication process both between and among states. The earliest diplomatic practices were developed by ancient Egyptian, Greek, and Roman societies, in particular their use of envoys. The more direct predecessors to modern diplomacy are found in medieval and early modern Europe. At this time, the state system in Europe was slowly emerging and with the the practices of formalised relations with each other through diplomatic customs and conventions were established starting in the 14th century but developing over the next few centuries.

In this tradition, diplomacy was conducted by ambassadors and consuls, in other words by professional diplomats who work as the resident agents of their home state. From the early 19th century, diplomacy started to also be conducted more through summits and conferences.

There is a large literature on diplomacy that you can explore if you want to learn more. There is a strong historical literature but international relations scholars too have added to the literature with a particular focus on changes in diplomatic systems, the role of diplomacy in crises, whether diplomacy can be modelled and how it has changed with globalisation.

Readings and Resources

 * Iucu, Oana, 2010, "Diplomacy and diplomatic functions, Manager: Leadership, Mentoring Coaching and Motivation", 11(1), pp. 129-134


 * Paul Reynolds, "Summit Diplomacy: Some Lessons from History for 21st Century Leaders", presented at British Council on 20th January 2010

Extension Activities
Watch the below YouTube clip by well known international relations scholar Joesph Nye, Soft Power and Public Diplomacy in the 21st Century, presented at British Council on 20th January 2010