European University Institute Library

Diplomacy's value, creating security in 1920s Europe and the contemporary Middle East, Brian C. Rathbun

eng

Includes bibliographical references (pages 247-261) and index

illustrations

index present

non fiction

Diplomacy's value

bibliography

877563257

Brian C. Rathbun

Cornell studies in security affairs

creating security in 1920s Europe and the contemporary Middle East

What is the value of diplomacy? How does it affect the course of foreign affairs independent of the distribution of power and foreign policy interests? Theories of international relations too often implicitly reduce the dynamics and outcomes of diplomacy to structural factors rather than the subtle qualities of negotiation. If diplomacy is an independent effect on the conduct of world politics, it has to add value, and we have to be able to show what that value is. In 'Diplomacy's value', Brian C. Rathbun sets forth a comprehensive theory of diplomacy, based on his understanding that political leaders have distinct diplomatic styles<U+0127> coercive bargaining, reasoned dialogue, and pragmatic statecraft. Drawing on work in the psychology of negotiation, Rathbun explains how diplomatic styles are a function of the psychological attributes of leaders and the party coalitions they represent. The combination of these styles creates a certain spirit of negotiation that facilitates or obstructs agreement. Rathbun applies the argument to relations among France, Germany, and Great Britain during the 1920s as well as Palestinian-Israeli negotiations since the 1990s. His analysis, based on an intensive analysis of primary documents, shows how different diplomatic styles can successfully resolve apparently intractable dilemmas and equally, how they can thwart agreements that were seemingly within reach.--, Provided by publisher

1. The value and values of diplomacy -- 2. Creating value: a psychological theory of diplomacy -- 3. Tabling the issue: two Franco-British failures of diplomacy -- 4. Setting the table: German reassurance, British brokering and French understanding -- 5. Getting to the table: the diplomatic perils of the exchange of notes -- 6. Cards on the table: the negotiation of the treaty of mutual guarantee and the spirit of Locarno -- 7. Turning the tables: reparations, early evacuation and the Hague conference -- 8. Additional value: the rise and fall of the Israeli-Palestinian peace process -- 9. Searching for Stresemann: the lessons of the 1920s for diplomacy and the Middle East peace process