Diplomacy in Practice: A Critical Approach

by Johan Verbeke

This book informs students about the practice of modern diplomacy while simultaneously inviting them to critically reflect on it. The work introduces the world of diplomacy from a practitioner’s point of view. Rather than listening to what diplomats say they do, the book looks at what they actually do. Diplomacy is thus approached through the lenses of its manifold from political analysis to policy-shaping, from conflict prevention over conflict-management to conflict-resolution. However, the book not only aims at informing or instructing but also, and primarily, wants its readers to critically reflect on diplomacy. It reviews received ideas by posing questions such what does ‘preventive diplomacy’ really mean?; what is the place of ‘transparency’ in diplomatic practice?; why is the relationship between ‘law and diplomacy’ ambiguous?; how come that our leaders have such a difficult time in credibly defending ‘human rights’?; and why is conducting an ‘ethical foreign policy’ a mission impossible? To tackle these and other questions, the book uses the tools of contemporary academic disciplines, such as behavioural economics, game theory, social psychology, argumentation theory, and practical logic, among others. This interdisciplinary approach brings fresh perspective to a field of study that has long remained self-contained. This book will be of great interest to students of diplomacy, foreign policy, and International Relations, as well as those seeking a career in diplomacy and existing diplomatic practitioners and international analysts.

Genres: Politics

252 pages, ebook

Published August 5, 2022

Reviews

[Arthur Barbé · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amb. Verbeke's book Diplomacy in Practice should be a key reference for any student or young professional with an interest in the world of diplomacy and international relations. From law and political science to history and psychology, Amb. Verbeke takes aspects of each domain of study that is relevant for diplomacy and brings it together in one crisp and highly readable book. His personal long experience enhance the insights even more strongly. University courses often hold a level of depth between not brief enough to be a mere introduction to a new field or topic on the one hand but also not extensive and detailed enough to be directly useful on the other hand. This book reaches the sweet spot of combining direct actionable insights (e.g. advice for the minister's chief adviser, career planning and the lucky number two) with academic-level rigour and perspective. Diplomacy in Practice will introduce you to all formal aspects you need to know about diplomacy but also let you in on those informal rules and knowledge of the diplomatic world that you might otherwise only pick up from being active in the field and by interacting with the more senior diplomats and other figures in international relations. It gives a step ahead to the junior diplomat or any foreign policy interested reader.

[Pieterjan · Rating 4 out of 5]

In his book Ambassador Johan Verbeke introduces the world of diplomacy from a practitioner’s point of view. Rather than listening to what diplomats say they do, the book looks at what they actually do. Diplomacy is thus approached through the lenses of its manifold practices: from political analysis to policy-shaping, from conflict prevention over conflict-management to conflict-resolution. However, the book not only aims at informing or instructing but also, and primarily, wants its readers to critically reflect on diplomacy.