DiploNews – Issue 162 – 2 July 2010
Upcoming Study Opportunities
Last Call for Applications: Diplomatic Law: Privileges and Immunities
Places are still available in one of our summer courses – Diplomatic Law: Privileges and Immunities – beginning the week of 26 July 2010. Apply as soon as possible to attend this Diplo Certificate Course. For further information or to apply, click on the title of the course above, or visit our courses website.
2011 Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy
You are invited to apply for the Master/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy, offered through the University of Malta. This flexible programme includes a 10-day residential workshop in Malta followed by 1 – 2 years of online study. The programme offers a valuable opportunity for diplomats and other international relations professionals to continue studies and extend professional networks while remaining on the job. The application deadline is 15 October 2010. For more information and to apply, please see the course webpage.
Autumn 2010 Online Courses
The following courses are also available beginning the week of 11 October 2010:
- E-Diplomacy
- Language and Diplomacy
- Development Diplomacy
These courses are available as University of Malta Accredited Courses (application deadline 9 August) and as Diplo Certificate Courses (application deadline 6 September). For further information or to apply, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses website.
Climate Change Diplomacy: September 2010
Do you need to brush up on your climate change diplomacy knowledge and skills before the November/December 2010 climate change meeting in Mexico? Diplo’s online course on Climate Change Diplomacy provides relevant knowledge and practical skills for diplomats, scientists, and others who participate in the climate change policy process. At an introductory level, the course focuses on scientific, economic, social, legal and governance aspects of climate change, with emphasis on development issues. The course will equip participants to represent and to promote effectively the interests of their own countries in national, regional, and global climate change policy processes. Scholarships are available for diplomats, civil servants, and academics from developing states involved in climate change policy processes and negotiations, with priority given to applications from small developing states. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Malta and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation helped develop and support this course. The next session of Climate Change Diplomacy begins the week of 20 September 2010 (application deadline 23 August). For more information and to apply, please visit the course webpage or contact us at climate@diplomacy.edu.
Failed States Index 2010
The Fund for Peace, together with Foreign Policy, has published its sixth Failed State Index. The Fund for Peace uses twelve indicators, including social, economic, and political issues to focus on state vulnerabilities and risks, and to rank countries. In sum, thirty-seven states rank as failed states. In addition, while the index uses four different “zones” (alert, warning, moderate, and sustainable) to locate countries according to their score on the twelve indicators, only twelve countries out of the 177 analysed fulfil the criteria for sustainable countries. As always, one must view these findings critically, since the outcome strongly depends on the methodology. Yet, even if one argues against the general usefulness of such rankings, the Failed State Index shows that it is difficult for countries in weak positions to improve. Somalia has led the list for three years and over the six years that the Fund for Peace has carried out the assessments, the fifteen most fragile states have remained largely in the same positions.
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