DiploNews – Issue 184 – 1 July 2011
Upcoming study opportunities
Climate Change Diplomacy: Combining a low carbon footprint with a high learning impact
We are pleased to offer two parallel sessions of our Climate Change Diplomacy online course this autumn, starting on 29 August 2011. This course has been running since 2008. Materials are updated each year to reflect current developments and feedback from participants. With support from the Maltese Ministry of Foreign Affairs, scholarships are available for applicants from small and developing states. The course has been scheduled to finish before the upcoming climate negotiations in Durban, South Africa, and will serve as a good preparation at an introductory level for the global climate negotiation. Apply before 1 August 2011.
Making a difference: So far, Diplo has trained over 150 participants in Climate Change Diplomacy. In 2010, running this course online saved 145 tons of CO2 in international flights. If you are interested in climate change, please also follow us on Twitter (@climate_diplo) or join our online community.
Summer courses in diplomacy
A few places remain in our summer certificate course Multilateral Diplomacy. For further information or to apply, click on the title of the course, or visit our courses website.

– George Fominyen, British High Commission in Yaounde, Cameroon
Online course: The Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and Disarmament
The Geneva Centre for Security Policy, in collaboration with Diplo, is pleased to offer an online course on the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and Disarmament. With the growing call for nuclear disarmament, the resurgence of nuclear arms control diplomacy, the persistence of unresolved nuclear proliferation issues (including those regarding Iran and North Korea), and the desire for nuclear energy, coupled with safety and security concerns, the forty-year old Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty is central to prospects
for disarmament, arms control, and international security. Familiarity with the treaty is increasingly important for practitioners and analysts to navigate their way through current and future nuclear issues. This course will familiarise participants with the provisions, history, and complexities of the treaty. Participants will analyse and dissect the topic, through readings, interaction with lectures, discussions with fellow-participants, and written assignments. Taught by Dr Waheguru Pal Singh Sidhu, Visiting Fellow at the Geneva Centre and former consultant to the United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research, the course runs from 22 August to 20 October 2011. The application deadline is 15 July 2011. For more information and to apply, please visit the GCSP website.
2012 Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy
You are invited to apply for the popular Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy, offered through the University of Malta. This blended learning programme offers a valuable opportunity for diplomats and other international relations professionals to continue studies without leaving work. The application deadline is 30 September 2011. For more information and to apply please see the course webpage.
Webinar: The (Remaining) Challenges of Network Neutrality
Should Internet service providers be allowed to place restrictions on access, or discriminate according to content, services, or applications? Should telecom providers be allowed to block access to Skype or other VoIP services to give preference to their own voice services? Chile and the Netherlands have already passed legislation prohibiting restrictions or discrimination on traffic. Will other countries follow suit?
Join Vladimir Radunovic, one of Diplo's leading Internet governance experts, for a one-hour webinar on Tuesday, 5th July, at 13:00 GMT. Attendance is free, but registration is required. More information (including background reading and resources), and to register, is available here. Queries? E-mail us at webinars@diplomacy.edu
Books on Diplomacy – Diplomatic Ambiguity
Drazen Pehar, Diplomatic Ambiguity: Language, Power, Law. Lambert Academic Publishing, 2011.
This month, we look at a new publication on diplomatic ambiguity by Diplo associate Dr Drazen Pehar. Diplomatic ambiguity is one of the most interesting uses of language in politics in general, and in diplomacy in particular. The term is normally taken to refer to a device that buys a temporary agreement at the price of a later verbal and interpretive conflict or misunderstanding. Prior to Dr Pehar’s study, no comprehensive or theory-guided analysis of this both political and linguistic phenomenon had been attempted. The study focuses on a number of ambiguously phrased peace-agreements, exploring three fundamental parameters in terms of which the concept of diplomatic ambiguity can be framed: language, power, and law. It proposes an argument of relevance to the most prominent schools of thought in International Relations, and closes a visible gap in the existing literature dealing with conflict, diplomacy, international politics, and discourse-related aspects of such politics. Due to its interdisciplinary character and sensitivity to the requirements of practice, it also offers an informative guide for practitioners of international relations, diplomacy, politics, and law. The book is available from Amazon and from many other sites and bookstores worldwide.
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