This compulsory course examines the characteristics and added value of European diplomacy in the challenging global context of the 21st century. It investigates how major diplomatic actors such as the European External Action Service under the leadership of the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, EU Special Representatives as well as the EU member states’ diplomatic services adapt to the changing internal and external demands. The course departs from the question to what extent diplomacy remains a key process in the management of international affairs, probing the increasingly voiced criticism that diplomacy reflects an outdated, state-centred approach to contemporary world politics. Diplomacy has in the past two decades been witnessing profound change in terms of actors (e.g. second-track diplomacy), processes (e.g. from club to network diplomacy) and instruments (e.g. digital diplomacy). This raises the question how the EU as a form of ‘post-diplomatic’ order fits into these developments. The aim of the course is to provide a sound foundation for understanding the role and nature of diplomacy in the global environment and in its EU context and to equip you with the necessary conceptual and methodological tools to analyse those aspects.
Professor: Heidi MAURER