Dilemmas in Diplomacy: Conflicting Priorities in Decisions of War and Peace

4–5 credits · Graduate

How is diplomacy conducted? How do statesmen make decisions on the brink of war and peace? The seminar examines diplomacy as an art of making difficult decisions among incompatible obligations and conflicting priorities in statecraft. Through historical examples from the 19th and 20th centuries, this course exposes the myriad challenges to diplomacy, through highlighting incompatible obligations that statesmen seek to fulfil. These priorities include obligations to the international order, shared values with allies, balance-of-power with non-aligned countries, and transactions with rivals; considerations for financial realities, key commodities, strategic chokepoints, and public opinion; fears for domestic political strife and civic revolutions. Each week, the seminar invites the students to locate the contemporary implications of these historical precedents, concluding with an examination of the limits and evolution of the practice of diplomacy.