DiploNews – Issue 88 – 16 August 2006
New Course: Diplomatic Law – Privileges and Immunities
DiploFoundation is pleased to offer a new course this autumn: “Diplomatic Law: Privileges and Immunities.” The main objective of this course is to introduce participants to diplomatic law in general, and diplomatic privileges and immunities in particular. The course will combine a theoretical introduction and practical exercises. The learning process will be supported by various case studies. Participants will be provided with up-to-date developments both in theory and practice of diplomatic privileges and immunities.
The course will begin during the week of November 27, 2006, and run for 10 weeks (with a short break for Christmas and New Year). We are currently accepting applications until October 30, 2006. For more information about our short online courses, or to apply, please contact admissions@diplomacy.edu.
Last Call for Applications: Short Online Courses for September 2006
We are currently accepting applications for the upcoming short online courses starting in September 2006:
- Bilateral Diplomacy (Ambassador Kishan Rana)
- International Trade Relations and Diplomacy (Mr Aldo Matteucci and Ms Tracy Evans)
Courses are designed to allow working diplomats and others involved in international relations to continue their education by learning about new topics in the field of diplomacy, or expanding and refreshing their knowledge of more traditional topics. Courses require 10 weeks of part-time study, typically 6-8 hours per week. Successful participants are awarded a postgraduate level certificate from DiploFoundation.
The application deadline for courses beginning in July is August 21, 2006. For further information, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit the Diplo website.
Call for Applications: 2007 MA/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy
The Master of Arts/Postgraduate Diploma in Contemporary Diplomacy is designed for diplomats, civil servants, employees of international organisations and others involved in international relations. The programme focuses on a broad spectrum of issues, including the work of diplomats in today’s world, new topics on diplomatic agendas and the use of information and communications technology (ICT) tools for diplomatic activities.
The programme is delivered through blended learning, taking advantage of the benefits offered by both traditional, face-to-face teaching, and online instruction. It is accredited through the Department of International Relations within the Faculty of Arts at the University of Malta.
The application deadline for the programme commencing in 2007 is October 10, 2006. For further information, and to apply, please visit the MA/PGD in Contemporary Diplomacy website.
Diplomats’ Parking Tickets – A Meter for Corruption?
The concept of privileges and immunities is one of the core and oldest instruments of diplomacy. The passage of time has not changed its relevance since the early days when our predecessors realised that it was “better to hear the message than to eat the messenger.” However, the context has changed. The general public, especially in developed countries, is concerned about the concept of privileges. This was clearly noted in a recent study by Raymond Fisman and Edward Miguel, economists at Columbia University and the University of California, Berkeley, which discovers a correlation between the level of breaches of diplomatic privileges (unpaid parking violations in New York) and level of corruption in the sending state. The study concludes that factors other than legal enforcement, for example cultural norms, have a strong role in the process of controlling corruption. However, as The Economist, reporting on the study, points out, staff at the American embassy in London stopped paying the congestion charge for bringing cars into central London last year, and the growing pile of unpaid charges now stands at $716,000 US!
To read more, please visit the Economist article or consult the full study on the website of the National Bureau of Economic Research.
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