Diplomatic Theory of International Relations

359 Pages·2009·1.37 MB·English

by  Paul Sharp

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Diplomatic Theory of
International Relations
Diplomacydoesnottakeplacesimplybetweenstatesbutwhereverpeople
liveindifferentgroups.PaulSharparguesthatthedemandfordiplomacy,
andtheneedfortheinsightsofdiplomatictheory,areontherise.Incontrast
to conventional texts which use international relations theories to make
senseofwhatdiplomacyanddiplomatsdo,thisbookexploreswhatdiplo-
macy and diplomats can contribute to the big theoretical and practical
debatesininternationalrelationstoday.PaulSharpidentifiesadiplomatic
tradition of international thought premised on the way people live in
groups, the differences between intra- and inter-group relations, and the
perspectives which those who handle inter-group relations develop about
thesortsofinternationaldisputeswhichoccur.Hearguesthatthelessonsof
diplomacyarethatweshouldbereluctanttojudge,readytoappease,and
alerttothepartialgroundsonwhichmostuniversalclaims abouthuman
beingsaremade.
paul sharp is Professor and Head of Political Science at the University
ofMinnesota,Duluth.

Cambridge Studies in International Relations: 111
DiplomaticTheoryofInternationalRelations
EDITORS
ChristianReus-Smit
NicholasJ.Wheeler
EDITORIAL BOARD
JamesDerDerian,MarthaFinnemore,LeneHansen,RobertKeohane,
RachelKerr,ColinMcInnes,JanAartScholte,PeterVale,
KeesVanDerPijl,JuttaWeldes,JenniferWelsh,WilliamWohlforth
Cambridge Studies in International Relations is a joint initiative of Cambridge
University Press and the British International Studies Association (BISA). The
series will include a wide range of material, from undergraduate textbooks and
surveystoresearch-basedmonographsandcollaborativevolumes.Theaimofthe
seriesistopublishthebestnewscholarshipinInternationalStudiesfromEurope,
NorthAmericaandtherestoftheworld.
Cambridge Studies in International Relations
110 JohnA.Vasquez
Thewarpuzzlerevisited
109 RodneyBruceHall
Centralbankingasglobalgovernance
ConstructingFinancialCredibility
108 MiljaKurki
Causationininternationalrelations
Reclaimingcausalanalysis
107 RichardM.Price
Morallimitandpossibilityinworldpolitics
106 EmmaHaddad
Therefugeeininternationalsociety
Betweensovereigns
105 KenBooth
Theoryofworldsecurity
104 BenjaminMiller
States,nationsandthegreatpowers
Thesourcesofregionalwarandpeace
103 BeateJahn(ed.)
Classicaltheoryininternationalrelations
102 AndrewLinklaterandHidemiSuganami
TheEnglishSchoolofinternationalrelations
Acontemporaryreassessment
101 ColinWight
Agents,structuresandinternationalrelations
Politicsasontology
100 MichaelC.Williams
Therealisttraditionandthelimitsofinternationalrelations
99 IvanArreguín-Toft
Howtheweakwinwars
Atheoryofasymmetricconflict
Serieslistcontinuedafterindex
Diplomatic Theory of
International Relations
paul sharp
UniversityofMinnesota,Duluth
CAMBRIDGE UNIVERSITY PRESS
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São Paulo, Delhi, Dubai, Tokyo
Cambridge University Press
The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge CB2 8RU, UK
Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York
www.cambridge.org
Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521760263
© Paul Sharp 2009
This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the
provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part
may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press.
First published in print format 2009
ISBN-13 978-0-511-65173-1 eBook (NetLibrary)
ISBN-13 978-0-521-76026-3 Hardback
Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy
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accurate or appropriate.
ToJanny,PatrickandCaroline
Iamsuggestingthataftermanyofthemoreincidentalfeatures
ofthecasehavebeenpeeledaway,weshallfindattheheartof
everythingakernelofdifficultywhichisessentiallyaproblem
ofdiplomacyassuch.
HerbertButterfield,“TheTragicElementinModern
InternationalConflict,”inHerbertButterfield,History
andHumanRelations,p.26