DiploNews – Issue 140 – 15 June 2009
Summer Courses with Diplo
Free time this summer? Expand your knowledge with an online course starting 27 July:
- Diplomatic Law: Privileges and Immunities
- 21st Century Diplomacy
- Multilateral Diplomacy
These courses are available as Diplo Certificate Courses (application deadline 22 June). For further information or an application form, click on the titles of the courses above, or visit our courses website.
Call for Applications: Climate Change Diplomacy
Climate change is becoming an important issue in global and regional negotiation processes. In the past, a few negotiators trained specifically for the Kyoto process could effectively cover climate change issues, but today officials involved in an increasing range of fields (such as energy, human rights, telecommunications, and health) need knowledge about climate change issues. This course will equip participants to represent and promote the interests of their own countries in the global climate change policy process. In addition, the course will broaden participant general understanding of climate change and the global policy response to climate change.
Full scholarship support will be provided by the Maltese Ministry of Foreign Affairs to diplomats, civil servants, and academics from small and developing states involved in climate change policy processes and negotiations. Please see the Diplo Climate Change Diplomacy website for further information and to apply. We are currently accepting applications for the course running from 28 September – 4 December 2009. The application deadline is September 7.
Public Diplomacy 2.0
In “The Future of ‘Public Diplomacy 2.0′”, recently published in the online edition of Foreign Policy, Evgeny Morozov engages critically with United States public diplomacy efforts utilising web 2.0 platforms (chat fora, the micro-blogging service twitter, or facebook). Morozov argues that a simple presence on these platforms and US State Department replies to every post involving the United States does not necessarily create an interest in what they might have to say. In a world already saturated with information of this kind, the target audience can easily ignore these efforts. The author mentions several ways that utilise new technology, but are potentially more effective in reaching the audience.
Home Project: Why We Need to Change
Home, a film by the famous photographer Yann Arthus-Bertrand, combines extraordinary pictures of the planet with an important message. Problems such as climate change and the exploitation of resources are addressed and change is encouraged. Since the beginning of June, the film has been available free on Youtube. The film is a must-see – if only for its beautiful pictures of the most remote regions of Earth. The full film is available at Home and is about an hour and a half long.
Books on Diplomacy in June
As we know that diplomats have little time to fit reading and study into their schedules, we hope that a monthly review of new publications may assist in choosing some of the most relevant.
- G. H. Quester. Preemption, Prevention and Proliferation: The Threat and Use of Weapons in History. Transaction Publishers.
This book is an historical account of the threat of and use of weapons of mass destruction: from the First World War to present-day responses to non-state terrorism. Quester offers insight into the strategic choices related to the use of weapons of mass destruction. He confronts dilemmas such as the use of offensive weapons against terrorist groups and the continuous blurring of the line between civilian and military casualties.
- A. E. Wooden and C. H. Stefes (eds.). The Politics of Transition in Central Asia and the Caucasus: Enduring Legacies and Emerging Challenges. Taylor and Francis.
Wooden and Stefes offer a number of case studies covering the Caucasus and Central Asia. Each case study looks into topics such as authoritarian rule and political opposition, the post-Soviet economy, and social and educational systems and reforms. Additionally, the introduction covers theoretical concepts and methodologies that help to understand the region. A look inside can be obtained from the Taylor and Francis catalogue.
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