Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Textbook Global South Perspectives On Diplomacy Yolanda Kemp Spies Ebook All Chapter PDF
Textbook Global South Perspectives On Diplomacy Yolanda Kemp Spies Ebook All Chapter PDF
https://textbookfull.com/product/global-diplomacy-and-
international-society-yolanda-kemp-spies/
https://textbookfull.com/product/eleanor-roosevelts-views-on-
diplomacy-and-democracy-the-global-citizen-dario-fazzi/
https://textbookfull.com/product/new-paths-of-development-
perspectives-from-the-global-south-1st-edition-rahma-bourqia/
https://textbookfull.com/product/global-perspectives-on-korean-
literature-wook-dong-kim/
Global Perspectives on Sports and Christianity 1st
Edition Afe Adogame
https://textbookfull.com/product/global-perspectives-on-sports-
and-christianity-1st-edition-afe-adogame/
https://textbookfull.com/product/cross-disciplinary-perspectives-
on-regional-and-global-security-pawel-frankowski/
https://textbookfull.com/product/global-perspectives-on-stem-
cell-technologies-1st-edition-aditya-bharadwaj-eds/
https://textbookfull.com/product/global-perspectives-on-language-
education-policies-1st-edition-joann-jodi-crandall/
https://textbookfull.com/product/global-perspectives-on-long-
term-community-resource-management-ludomir-r-lozny/
Global South
Perspectives
on Diplomacy
Global South
Perspectives
on Diplomacy
Yolanda Kemp Spies
University of Johannesburg
Johannesburg, South Africa
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer
Nature Switzerland AG, part of Springer Nature 2019
This work is subject to copyright. All rights are solely and exclusively licensed by the
Publisher, whether the whole or part of the material is concerned, specifically the rights
of translation, reprinting, reuse of illustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction
on microfilms or in any other physical way, and transmission or information storage and
retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software, or by similar or dissimilar methodology
now known or hereafter developed.
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this
publication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names are
exempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.
The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and
information in this book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication.
Neither the publisher nor the authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied,
with respect to the material contained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have
been made. The publisher remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published
maps and institutional affiliations.
This Palgrave Macmillan imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature
Switzerland AG
The registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland
I always learn from my students. The younger ones—unencumbered by the
baggage of life experience—are adventurous, naïve and often irreverent
about the norms and conventions of older generations. They entice me to
think in new ways and to peel back layers of my own cynicism. My mature
students all have a story to tell, a lived experience that gives wider context to
whatever I bring to the classroom. Wherever I have taught, in Africa and
beyond, I have gained insights from them, which in turn impacted many of
the ideas in this book.
Several people—a combination of academics and diplomats, some of them
serving ambassadors—were approached to review draft chapters of this book.
Kingsley Makhubela, Dayanand Naidoo, Mxolisi Nkosi, Dirk Kotzé and
Louise Lepan gave me advice and gently corrected me where I strayed off
course. Thank you so much, colleagues! I relished the opportunity to draw on
your combined experience of diplomacy and diplomatic studies.
I wish to dedicate the book in its entirety to two other diplomatic experts: my
husband, Hannes, and my son, Simon. Hannes founded the South African
Foreign Service Institute (now the Diplomatic Academy) in 1995 and
trained the first cohort of ambassadors for the ‘new South Africa’, before
he served in two ambassadorial postings. We share a love of diplomacy, a
passion for Africa and a dedication to lifelong education.
Simon grew up immersed in diplomatic culture, and his world is large,
exquisitely diverse and bursting with ideas. He sharpens my diplomatic skills
on a daily basis! May you always live fiercely, my son. I know you will never
bow to anyone, except God.
Contents
1 Introduction 1
vii
viii Contents
7 Conclusion 251
Index 261
CHAPTER 1
Introduction
international law, states are held accountable for what their diplomats
do, hence the extensive international legal framework that protects and
guides the practice of diplomacy.
In international studies, the agency of individual diplomats is gener-
ally under-appreciated because their work—even on high profile issues—
is done in a discreet, low profile manner, thereby blending into the
bureaucratic ‘white noise’ of global relations. It deserves to be studied
much more attentively, because diplomats constantly weave a safety net
for the preservation of international society. Consider, for a moment,
the distinction made in Ancient Greece between two types of interna-
tional envoys, ‘heralds’ and ‘diplomats’. Heralds, regardless of their sta-
tus, could only convey news about imminent war. They were respected
individuals, but they were only messengers. Diplomats, on the other
hand, communicated messages but also had the leeway to negotiate trea-
ties. This manoeuvring space continues to define the institution of diplo-
macy. Contrary to what cynics allege, diplomats have a mandate that
far exceeds the simple communication of preset messages. They have to
bargain, ‘think out of the box’, create common ground, add value and
engineer peace where none exists. The work is never done: new fissures
appear; new generations of politicians forget the lessons learnt. The
profession’s duty, and its strength, lies in its continuity of communica-
tion. After all, the world we live in is largely a product of diplomacy: the
peace treaties, charters of international organisations, even the borders
of sovereign states result from deals struck by diplomats. Diplomacy out-
lives empires and ideologies, trends and fads, and all the many ways we
humans find to undermine each other.
In this book, the modalities used by diplomats will be investigated, so
as to provide a framework for analysis of diplomacy. I should add that the
book complements a predecessor, Global Diplomacy and International
Society, which provided wider contextual perspective on diplomatic prac-
tice and theory. Theoretical, historical, legal, bureaucratic and cultural
frameworks for diplomacy were variously discussed in the previous book.
I should also make it clear why the title of this book refers to Global
South perspectives. Most scholarly work on diplomacy originates in the
industrialised countries of the Global North. The rest of the world is yet
to make a definitive mark on diplomatic studies, and as proud African
and Global Southerner, I want to see this rectified. Diplomacy is truly
global; it does not belong exclusively to any part of humanity, it is uni-
versally practised and universally institutionalised. For that reason, we
1 INTRODUCTION 3
have to study it in its totality: not just the content of what we analyse,
but also the perspectives we engage. It makes practical as well as theoret-
ical sense to do so.
Ironically, the Global South itself is still understudied in the field of
international relations (IR). This is astounding, given that it includes the
bulk of humanity and the most ancient of civilisations. Yet even the name
people use for the world beyond the highly industrialised Western coun-
tries is contested. The many labels (‘Developing World’, ‘Third World’,
‘Global South’, ‘Periphery’ and so forth) all seem to be imprecise as a
collective term, because the constituent units of the Global South are
hugely dissimilar; much more so than those of the Global North. They
range from desperately poor states such as Haiti and Bangladesh and
failed states like Somalia; to newly industrialising middle-income coun-
tries like Mexico and Turkey; and even the world’s aspirant superpower,
China. While the Global South label implies that most of its members
are physically located in the southern hemisphere, this is of course not
necessarily the case. Australia and New Zealand are both in the south-
ern hemisphere, but are categorised as Global North. By the same token,
many states in the northern hemisphere, such as Uzbekistan, Mongolia
and North Korea, are part of the Global South. The latter label is more
political than geographical, but it is not an entirely subjective identity.
States in the Global South tend to have unconsolidated or very uneven
socio-economic development; authoritarian or only recently evolved
democracies; and usually a history of colonisation. They are vulnerable to
the political and economic policies of the rich industrialised states; their
development dependent on access to the markets, investment and tech-
nology of the Global North. To this extent, they perceive themselves to
be subjugated or dictated to; treated as second-class members of interna-
tional society. The Global South is therefore mostly defined in negative
terms, namely by what it is not (yet).
What this separate ‘world’ has accomplished is to have inserted devel-
opment onto the global diplomatic agenda. Since the first generation
of development diplomacy appeared in the late 1950s, an alternative
diplomatic narrative gained momentum and in today’s world the issue
of development is more ‘mainstreamed’ than ever before. It should
be emphasised that for the Global South, diplomacy is primarily about
development, the countering of asymmetry in the global economy. For
the most marginalised of these countries, diplomacy is the only viable
foreign policy tool with which to wage an existential struggle. Countries
4 Y. K. SPIES
the goal of fostering peace and security. The United Nations Charter
provides for the legal use of force by its Security Council, but of more
interest to diplomatic practice are the options for third-party diplomacy
enumerated in Chapter VI of the UN Charter.
The pacific (peaceful) settlement of disputes, including mediation, is
contextualised within the changing profile of global peace and conflict.
Peace is no longer contingent on once-off agreement among politi-
cal executives; it requires multi-stakeholder buy-in and long-term ‘pro-
ject management’ when conflict-ravaged societies need to be rebuilt.
Third-party diplomacy is therefore increasingly tied to peacebuilding and
post-conflict reconstruction and development. In the process, diplomats
are confronted with an ethical dilemma: the contradiction between polit-
ical settlement (the usual diplomatic route) and judicial closure (the legal
imperative).
Chapter 5 addresses polylateral diplomacy and explains the catalytic
processes that constitute this interface of official diplomacy with pri-
vate initiatives. The book thereby moves beyond traditional state-cen-
tric perspectives, into the context of a diplomatic arena that is pluralistic,
dynamic and networked. Geopolitical location and formal authority have
far less impact on the activities of non-state actors—multinational com-
panies, ethnic diaspora, celebrities, trade unions, the media, religious
groups and many more—that operate at domestic, transnational, inter-
national and global levels. The de facto diplomacy of these actors often
happens in parallel to the governments of sovereign states, challenging
their jurisdiction.
The intersection of state and societal interests is of key interest to
diplomats, all the more so when it concerns global public goods. The
‘global commons’ comprises human interests that transcend sovereign
borders. As is the case at the domestic level, at the global level the provi-
sion of services requires transparency and accountability, and diplomacy
thereby assumes characteristics of legislative, representative governance—
hence the term ‘global governance’. It is a historically unprecedented
element of diplomacy, and possibly a new mode in the making.
The chapter identifies the main types of non-state actors and their
‘diplomacy’, with a discussion of their comparative advantages vis-à-vis
traditional (state-centric) actors. This is followed by a discussion of the
impact that diplomatic ‘civilcraft’ has on the traditional statecraft focus of
foreign ministries. Examples of polylateral partnerships, from around the
world, are provided.
1 INTRODUCTION 9
Bilateral Diplomacy:
The Perennial Basics of Diplomacy
1 Introduction
Up till the beginning of the twentieth century, the history of diplomacy
was largely the history of bilateral diplomacy. This mode of diplomacy—
also referred to as ‘traditional’, ‘old’ or ‘the French system’—represents
the foundation of diplomatic practice as we know it. It became synon-
ymous with the institution of resident embassies when the latter origi-
nated in fifteenth-century Italy and spread throughout Europe before
becoming a universal phenomenon.
The important symbolism of bilateral diplomatic relations is that the
two political entities acknowledge each other’s relevance as diplomatic
actors. In the conventional sense, ‘they are in principle prepared to con-
duct any necessary business by direct communication through official
representatives’ (Berridge 1995: 19). Diplomacy is rooted in reciprocity
and the term ‘bilateral’ (literally meaning two-sided) emphasises the fact
that it can exist only by mutual participation. Contact is done through
institutionalised communication channels, ordinarily the respective for-
eign ministries and their networks of diplomatic missions. However, the
exchange of resident diplomatic missions is by no means a precondition
for bilateral relations: many states maintain warm and regular diplo-
matic interaction without representative offices in each other’s territo-
ries. In some cases, the physical representation may be maintained by one
side only—once again, without necessarily reflecting negatively on the
relationship.
Like a sacrament, diplomacy’s symbols are often the reality they signify.
(Filipino Ambassador José Lino Guererro 1999, at the conclusion of his
posting in Ankara, Turkey)
the ‘first genocide of the 20th century’. His comment so infuriated the
Turkish government that it recalled its Ambassador to the Vatican. (The
Ambassador was reinstated, but only ten months later.) Turkey has also
recalled its Ambassadors from various other states—among them France
in 2011 and Germany in 2016—after their respective national legisla-
tures intentionally labelled the Armenian killings as ‘genocide’.
Sometimes a state has a similar bilateral diplomatic spat with several
other states at the same time, and this can lead to simultaneous withdraw-
als of more than one ambassador from a host state. It happened when
Indonesian authorities sentenced convicted drug smugglers to death
(among them members of an Australian drug-trafficking ring in the infa-
mous ‘Bali-9’ case) during early 2015. The presence of foreign nation-
als among the condemned prisoners caused an international outcry. In
addition to the lobbying of various non-state groups, the governments of
Brazil, the Netherlands and Australia all appealed to the Indonesian gov-
ernment to commute the death sentence of their nationals.
When the executions took place despite the bilateral diplomatic
efforts, the three states recalled their respective ambassadors from
Indonesia. But diplomatic symbolism can only achieve so much—a sov-
ereign state’s legal jurisdiction within its own territory is a principle of
international law. The Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs tersely con-
firmed this right, in a statement on 22 February 2015:
As in most instances where such symbolic measures are resorted to, the
three countries soon after normalised their diplomatic relations with
Indonesia.
presentation of credentials. Until such time as they had done so, they
may not assume their duties officially.
Diplomacy takes place in a very political arena, among constantly
evolving international actors, and ideally, all diplomats need to oper-
ate with both legality and legitimacy on their side. In reality, however,
diplomacy continues even when (or precisely because) there is a deficit in
either.
A lack of legitimacy can result from representational ambiguity,
something that can occur during the process of state creation or state
disintegration, when the very identity of a state is questioned. It is debil-
itating for diplomats to operate in a legal void, and the process can be
contentious, drawn-out and harrowing. The truncation of Yugoslavia
during the 1990s, and anarchy in Libya immediately after the interna-
tional intervention of 2011, left the diplomats of those states in a pro-
fessional vacuum. They suffered harrowing uncertainty about personal
circumstances, career progression and physical safety. Until such time
as the international community bestows political recognition on a state,
its diplomats cannot be quite sure what they represent and diplomatic
law does not suffice, at the professional level, to protect ‘orphaned’
representatives.
Unconventional (de facto rather than de jure) diplomacy is required
when international actors do not have official diplomatic relations.
The sovereign status of one or both parties might be disputed or hos-
tility between them might prevent initialisation or resumption of for-
mal diplomatic relations. They can conduct diplomacy either indirectly
(facilitated by a third party) or directly, in which case it is usually not
acknowledged publicly. Liberation movements are great practitioners
of de facto diplomacy, which they conduct under the banner of being
legitimate ‘governments-in-waiting’ or ‘governments-in-exile’. Thus,
the African National Congress (ANC), the Pan-Africanist Congress
of Azania (PAC) and the Inkatha Freedom Party were all represented
abroad, before they became part of normalised democratic politics in
post-apartheid South Africa.
Unconventional bilateral diplomacy can also become institutionally
entrenched and in some cases enjoy partial (restricted to certain states/
regions) legality and legitimacy. Contested states fit into this category,
and their enthusiasm for the representational aspects of diplomacy is a
common denominator. The fact that statehood entails membership of a
society of which the chief medium of communication is diplomacy has
2 BILATERAL DIPLOMACY: THE PERENNIAL BASICS OF DIPLOMACY 19
relations with Western Sahara at the end of 2013, but during the same
year Honduras established relations with the contested state. It cannot
be easy when uncertainty dogs the very existence of a diplomat’s rep-
resentative duties. As a result, the diplomats of contested states tend to
be unusually resilient: they practise a very conventional profession under
very unconventional circumstances.
1.D. The copyright laws of the place where you are located also
govern what you can do with this work. Copyright laws in most
countries are in a constant state of change. If you are outside
the United States, check the laws of your country in addition to
the terms of this agreement before downloading, copying,
displaying, performing, distributing or creating derivative works
based on this work or any other Project Gutenberg™ work. The
Foundation makes no representations concerning the copyright
status of any work in any country other than the United States.
1.E.6. You may convert to and distribute this work in any binary,
compressed, marked up, nonproprietary or proprietary form,
including any word processing or hypertext form. However, if
you provide access to or distribute copies of a Project
Gutenberg™ work in a format other than “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or
other format used in the official version posted on the official
Project Gutenberg™ website (www.gutenberg.org), you must, at
no additional cost, fee or expense to the user, provide a copy, a
means of exporting a copy, or a means of obtaining a copy upon
request, of the work in its original “Plain Vanilla ASCII” or other
form. Any alternate format must include the full Project
Gutenberg™ License as specified in paragraph 1.E.1.
• You pay a royalty fee of 20% of the gross profits you derive from
the use of Project Gutenberg™ works calculated using the
method you already use to calculate your applicable taxes. The
fee is owed to the owner of the Project Gutenberg™ trademark,
but he has agreed to donate royalties under this paragraph to
the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation. Royalty
payments must be paid within 60 days following each date on
which you prepare (or are legally required to prepare) your
periodic tax returns. Royalty payments should be clearly marked
as such and sent to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation at the address specified in Section 4, “Information
about donations to the Project Gutenberg Literary Archive
Foundation.”
• You comply with all other terms of this agreement for free
distribution of Project Gutenberg™ works.
1.F.
Most people start at our website which has the main PG search
facility: www.gutenberg.org.