Modern diplomacy in cartoons

MODERN DIPLOMACY IN CARTOONS Cartoons by Marčeta Concept and text by Kishan S Rana, assisted by Vladimir Marić

CONTENT I. INTRODUCTION, 1 II. BUILDING POLITICAL RELATIONS, 9 III. ECONOMIC, CULTURAL AND OTHER FORMS OF DIPLOMACY, 14 IV. MEDIA, PUBLIC DIPLOMACY & OTHER FIELDS, 19 V. PROTOCOL, FOREIGN VISITS BY LEADERS & CONCLUSION, 22

In 2004, the Canadian Foreign Service Institute asked Kishan S Rana and DiploFoundation to help develop a short course on bilateral diplomacy in a ‘self-learning’ format for distance teaching. A series of cartoons was developed to provide visual depiction of the manner in which diplomacy is currently practiced.

We have selected some of these cartoons for this e-book, presenting the lighter side of the manner in which countries conduct their foreign relations.

I. INTRODUCTION

1. One of the famous definitions of diplomacy, and a source of much misunderstanding was a statement by Sir Henry Wotton in 1604: ‘An ambassador is an honest gentleman sent to lie abroad for the good of his country.’

In the event, Sir Henry Wotton suffered, and was removed from his post.

Moral: Envoys serve at the pleasure of the Sovereign.

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2. Our cast of characters.

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3. The basic nature of diplomacy remains much the same as in the days Harold Nicolson described it in his classic work, Diplomacy: A Basic Guide to the Conduct of Contemporary Foreign Affairs (1939), even while many practices are transformed. Diplomacy is still about managing the external interests of the home country, building durable and mutually profitable ties with foreign countries, and advancing home interests across a broad front.

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4 & 5. Then and now.

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6. Work in the foreign ministry involves juggling multiple urgent tasks, in an environment marked by volatility, uncertainty, complexity and ambiguity.

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7. Another new element is that many new subjects now affect foreign relations, involving multiple new state and non-official actors.

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8. Multilateral diplomacy has also changed, with the presence of many non-state entities that bring their own perspectives and are recognized as legitimate stakeholders.

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II. BUILDING POLITICAL RELATIONS

9. Information is the lifeblood of diplomacy, but ensuring the credibility and relevance of information is always crucial.

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10. Each ministry and branch of the government has its own external agenda; the foreign ministry has to steer a calculated course in the face of competing objectives, conforming to what is best for the government and the country; this is a coordinator and synthesizer role.

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11. The role of the ambassador and of embassy officials involves more hard work, and rather less glamor, than popularly imagined.

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12. Dispute settlement is a core task of political diplomacy; even when substantive issues are settled (in this case an agreement to send back ambassadors to the two capitals, after they had been withdrawn at the height of the dispute) the timing of the action also becomes subject to negotiation. This calls for patience, and sometimes ingenuity, to resolve an impasse.

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13. In the popular mind, ethnic minorities are viewed with doubt. The allusion here is to what was called in the UK in the 1980s ‘the Norman Tebbit’ test, i.e. to judge loyalty in terms of which country team a minority would applaud at a cricket test match, that of the UK, or of their country of origin. (The speaker in the cartoon misidentifies the cheering Bangladeshis as ‘Pakistanis’, again typical of ignorance on which prejudice is often based.)

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III. ECONOMIC, CULTURAL AND OTHER FORMS OF DIPLOMACY

14. Economic diplomacy has become a major priority for foreign ministries and embassies, to the point where other activities to promote relations with foreign countries are also connected with promotion of trade and foreign investments.

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15. In their outreach to different entities in their country of assignment, ambassadors find it useful to show an attitude of respect to different local actors, whether they represent academia, business, civil society, cultural, media or other agencies.

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16. Given the wide range of subjects with which embassy officials have to deal, they need a wide range of interests, plus ability to gather information rapidly, not to become instant experts, but to engage with genuine specialists from many disciplines.

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17. Foreign aid often involves a clash of cultures, in which the practices of the country providing aid (usually called the ‘donor’ country), run up against the entrenched customs of the receiving country; mutual adjustment is often required to implement aid projects, which can become a matter of sensitivity and potential misunderstanding.

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18. It is always essential for diplomats stationed abroad to closely keep track of developments at home, so that they can represent well their home country in their place of assignment. Many foreign ministries require all embassy officials to undertake a familiarization tour of a week or two (at public cost), visiting businesses, research organizations, universities and others, in different parts of their own country, especially those that are connected with the country of assignment.

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IV. MEDIA, PUBLIC DIPLOMACY & OTHER FIELDS

19. For diplomatic missions, outreach to publics has now become a major activity, as part of ‘public diplomacy’. This was not the case in the past, when the foreign ministry, other official agencies, plus the head of the foreign government were almost the exclusive interlocutors of embassies.

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20. The media have their own priorities, based on their estimation of what appeals to their viewers and readers; embassies and other official agencies have their work cut out in projecting their home country in a manner that attracts the media.

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21. It takes finesse to present official policy in a manner that appeals to the media; this is one of the modern diplomacy craft skills. It is also a part of public diplomacy.

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V. PROTOCOL, FOREIGN VISITS BY LEADERS & CONCLUSION

22. Dignitaries from home on their visits abroad can be demanding, as many ambassadors know to their cost. And envoys are also not always as tactful as they ought to be.

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23. Meetings between leaders are typically scripted in advance; but leaders can surprise their staff with impromptu actions. That is an element in the way bilateral and regional summit meetings play out.

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24. The real substance of summit meetings can be quite different from the public image.

It is in the one-on-one meetings that much of the real dialogue between leaders is conducted.

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25. When Emperor Haile Selassie visited Czechoslovakia in the 1960s, he was requested to greet the honor guard with the Czech language salutation ‘Nazdar’. But he was taken aback when the guard would shout back their response (based on a real-life incident).

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26. This protocol snafu occurred in the early 1960s, on President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s second state visit to India, at a civic reception held in his honor at the majestic Mughal era Red Fort.

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27. As times change, so do the methods, the range of participants and the subjects in diplomatic discourse. And one is left with the question: do these changes transform the basic character and goals of diplomacy? Our response: the basic objectives of remain unchanged. This is the element of continuity, in the midst of the visible changes.

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