Strengthening Voices of Small and Developing Countries - 10 Years of Diplomatic Training
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ilateral diplomacy is one of the building blocks of international relations. This course offers a practitioner’s perspective, looking at concepts, and how these operate in real life as countries work to promote their interests in the contemporary global environment. The course provides participants with the tools to analyze world affairs, and attempts to impart to them the craft skills of diplomacy. Participants will sharpen their analytical skills, and become aware of the complex and concurrent objectives that countries pursue in their external relationships, and how this makes the foreign ministry the hub of a dynamic network that has many actors, state and non-state, each with a legitimate role in foreign affairs. Course Outline
1. Bilateral Diplomacy Today: an overview of
current trends in world affairs, including the key tasks of diplomacy as pursued by foreign ministries in our times, their prioritisation, and the methods used in relationship building. 2. The Political and Security Dimension:
prioritisation in diplomacy; the targets and methods of relationship-building; and the challenges of problem solving; the different dimensions of security; and the interplay between diplomacy and security. 3. Economic Diplomacy: how it has become a leading priority in current times; the techniques of trade and investment promotion and other economic activities; the country image and ways to build the national brand. 4. Culture, Media, Education and Public Diplomacy: techniques applied in these sectors,
inter-linkages between them; and the emergence of public diplomacy as a major concentration area, as well as ethnic diplomacy and the other instruments of soft power.
Reviews
5. Foreign Ministries, Embassies and Consulates: the organisation and the key tasks;
qualities of a diplomat; the reforms undertaken by foreign ministries and their domestic tasks of coordination and networking. 6. Bilateral Negotiation: theory and practice; the stages of negotiation; the styles of negotiation; the role of mediation. 7. Inter-Cultural Management and Diplomatic Signals: by its nature, diplomacy works across
cultures; the basics of culture analysis and the practical conclusions this offers; direct and nonverbal signals, and the role played by signals in diplomatic communication. 8. Bilateral Summit Diplomacy: direct diplomacy between heads of state and governments has been a growth area in our times; its value and importance as well as its limitations. Summing up: the second part of this lecture summarises likely future developments in diplomacy. â–
I found the Bilateral Diplomacy course an excellent tool in broadening my knowledge and understanding of diplomatic practices around the world. With participants from a variety of countries and backgrounds, I found the sharing of experiences and best practice invaluable. Ambassador Rana provided an enriching mix of academic rigour and experience from an illustrious diplomatic career. Peter Boxer Deputy Head of Mission British Embassy Rabat, Morocco
E-learning with DiploFoundation was a great experience. The innovative online sessions and contact with other students really helped to gain a wide view on the topics discussed. Despite having practised bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, I found the course informative and focussed, such as the benefits and drawbacks of both soft and hard power. This in particular proved useful in completing my understanding of how diplomacy can work at different levels. Guy Pollard Second Secretary Conventional Weapons UK Disarmament Delegation Geneva
Course Catalogue
Bilateral Diplomacy