Baroness Valerie Amos

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From the course by University of London

Global Diplomacy – Diplomacy in the Modern World

1050 ratings

University of London

Global Diplomacy – Diplomacy in the Modern World

1050 ratings

The Global Diplomacy course is a unique offering to the MOOC environment. Bringing together cutting edge research in the broad fields of Diplomatic and International Studies, award winning distance learning delivery and the instructors previous experience of delivering a successful MOOC. Please see the volume Global Diplomacy: Theories, Types and Models authored with Dr Alison Holmes, (Westview, 2016), and the Understanding Research Methods MOOC from Coursera. The Global Diplomacy MOOC has a direct heritage in the University of London International Academy/SOAS Global Diplomacy MA Programme launched in April 2013 which have attracted hundreds of students from around the world. The Global Diplomacy MA Programme is provided by the Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy which has been teaching postgraduate courses in Diplomacy for over twenty five years. After completing the 'Global Diplomacy' MOOC, learners will have: 1. The ability to demonstrate a critical understanding of the nature and development of global diplomacy, drawing on a variety of relevant contributing disciplines in the broad field of International Studies. 2. An understanding of changes in diplomatic practices and procedures and the relationship of those changes to contemporary politics. 3. A sound grounding in both theoretical and empirical approaches to debates in diplomacy so that students have been exposed to the and skills needed to analyse global diplomacy. 4. knowledge of issues in global diplomacy in historical and contemporary contexts.

From the lesson

E-tivity 5: Reflections on Diplomacy

Welcome to the final week of Global Diplomacy: Diplomacy in the Modern World. In this module we reflect on what we have learnt about diplomacy. This extra challenge exercise will add to your understanding.

Dr Michele Acuto7:50

Prof Jason Dittmar7:28

Dr Dan Plesch7:47

Mr John Worne5:36

Dr Martin Brown10:31

Prof Naoko Shimazu11:43

Baroness Valerie Amos7:41

Prof Stephen Casey15:06

Prof Stephen Hopgood12:31

Mr Omah Salha11:24

Dr Richard Woodward8:40

Dr Mark Laffey14:02

Meet the Instructors

Dr J. Simon Rofe, SOAS, University of London
Senior Lecturer in Diplomacy and International Studies, Global Diplomacy Programme Director, Centre for International Studies and Diplomacy,
SOAS, University of London

[MUSIC]

Hello, I'm here with Baroness Valerie Amos, director of SOAS,

University of London.

Valerie, what do you consider diplomacy to be?

>> It's a way of talking through problems,

it's a way of forging relationships, it's a way of understanding

other people, different cultures, different countries.

It's a way I think of getting a resolution, ultimately, or ensuring that

you have the mechanism to get a resolution to potential problems which may arrive.

>> Okay, thank you.

In terms of what successful diplomacy look likes.

Are there certain characteristics that you can point to in your experience that you

would mark out as being these are what successful diplomacy really looks like?

>> Well obviously my experience is in terms of international diplomacy,

and some of it country to country.

But I do think that we have to distinguish between what I would call

formal diplomacy, where you have countries that relate to each other.

For example, in the international arena, ways of trying to resolve conflict.

And what I would call informal diplomacy,

I think that we use diplomacy in our lives every single day.

We use it in our families.

We use it with our friends.

We use it in our communities.

Because it's a way of trying to diffuse tension.

So what does successful diplomacy look like?

Well, from my perspective, where for the last five years when I worked at

the United Nations, there was very often a diplomacy track that was

running hand in hand with various other tracks including a humanitarian track,

when we were looking at the impact of conflict in many countries and regions.

And obviously what we were looking for very often was for the conflict to end.

For some kind of agreed way forward,

there was often deep political differences

between groups that had resulted in the conflict in the first place.

So how do you find a way of actually tapping in to what

people are really looking for and find a way of getting both sides to

agree on a process which gets them to that and which

enables them to buy in and which allows everybody to claim a degree of success.

Really good diplomacy requires patience.

It requires a really good sense of timing.

You need to know which button to press when.

It's very important to be tough at certain points to keep it going.

And that's why sometimes you hear about

diplomatic initiatives that just go on all night.

You need to have a great deal of resilience.

You need to be able to think outside the box.

People need to really trust you, because otherwise it's not going to happen.

So you have to be very skillful, very skilled,

I think you have to have a degree of charm sometimes to

bring people to the table and to keep them at the table until you reach a resolution.

>> Thank you.

I want to just pick up on one point there.

You mentioned how important you felt trust was to diplomacy and

perhaps just elaborate on that a moment.

>> Well if in a potential conflict situation or

in the middle of a conflict situation you're going to bring people together and

try to get them to an agree point.

It's really important that people have a sense that

you're coming to this in a neutral way.

By that I don't mean that you don't understand what's going on.

But that you're not favoring a side.

That actually you're going to be, as it were, an honest broker.

So sometimes there are people who would actually

be very good at helping to resolve a conflict.

But they can't play that role because historically they may have said something

or they are perceived to be in some way

more strongly connected to one side or another.

So that trust is absolutely crucial.

And when that trust breaks down, it's sometimes very, very difficult to move on.

>> Thank you.

Conversely, if you're thinking about when diplomacy fails.

What does that look like to you?

How do we know when diplomacy is not working?

>> Well, then you don't get a resolution to whatever problem

that you're seeking to resolve.

Sometimes the problems escalate and become much more difficult.

People are left very dissatisfied, very unhappy, and things are worse, not better.

>> In your experience are there certain individuals or

groups of individuals that you would identify as very skilled diplomats and

those characteristics again you seen them played out in

perhaps your personal experience or examples that you've heard about?

>> Yes, I have and perseverance is important.

Patience is extremely important.

Really being creative, the ability to

take risks, that's also very important because sometimes you will do something

that feels counter-cultural, but it works, because you understand the situation so

well and you understand the people so well.

And you can never give up.

You have to know sometimes when you have to take people off separately to try to

get a resolution, how you bring in people who may be in your broader network.

There's a combination of skills and timing is crucial.

So you might have a really good diplomat strong negotiator,

because I think negotiation skills are crucial as well.

But it doesn't work, because the timing's not right.

>> So Valerie, if you were to offer some advice to someone wanting

to develop a career, or develop the skills of a diplomat, what would that be?

>> Well, I think first of all I'd say, don't be put off.

That there will be lots of examples where you've actually demonstrated

the ability to be a skilled diplomat without you even realizing it.

There's a kind of aura, I think, around international diplomacy,

around those iconic figures who have

helped to bring particular major conflicts to an end.

And obviously, that's one end of it.

But, it is really about perseverance and patience.

And some of it can feel as if you're never going to get

to that moment where you're going to crack it.

So, be prepared for weeks and months of negotiation.

Of really just making tiny steps forward and

sometimes even huge steps backwards.

But it is incredibly rewarding when it works and when it works well.

So go for it, is what I would say.

>> Thank you very much, Valerie Amos.

>> Thank you.

[MUSIC]

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