Intercultural Diplomacy PDF

# Intercultural Diplomacy ## 1) Values - Strength - Power - Domination - Courage - Price - Values in 7 areas of diplomacy: politics, culture, law, etc. - Recognizing the understanding of different values in different cultures can help to collaborate better. - Dialogue is a value. Values + diploma...

# Intercultural Diplomacy ## 1) Values - Strength - Power - Domination - Courage - Price - Values in 7 areas of diplomacy: politics, culture, law, etc. - Recognizing the understanding of different values in different cultures can help to collaborate better. - Dialogue is a value. Values + diplomacy are connected. - Multicultural context: moral/relative values (specific cultural norms) - Intercultural context: ethical/general values (shared human principles) - **Always the key:** understanding, respecting each other for better understanding and collaboration, getting into dialogue about it, adapting in different cultural contexts. - **Examples:** time, hierarchy/power, space, family, honesty, dignity ### Time - **Rubber band** (sometimes slack (relaxed), sometimes taut (busy, not wasting time)) - **Time + power:** delay to demonstrate authority --> patience, curiosity, instead of feeling offended. - **Time + money:** "time is money" = time is seen as a tool for productivity - **Structured time:** some cultures structure their time more rigid, some more flexible --> important in a work environment - **Monochronic** (one task at a time, stick to schedule), **polychronic** (multitasking, flexible adjustments, prioritize people) - **Future and past:** do they live in the past, present or future? (Israel: present because of war; Arab cultures in the past because of traditions --> tension) ## Human Rights - Gender balance - Children protection - People empowerment (job) - Civil society (identity, dignity) - Prosperity - Human life respect - Rule of law - Good governance - Justice access ## 2) Dialogue - Dialogue (dia-legein): no judgment, no prejudice, inclusion, attention, multiple perspectives, curiosity, patience, relativeness, open space - Dialogue is over when violence starts - To avoid war: collaboration (relationships of nations are more important than their interests) - Diplomacy + Value are connected through Dialogue: - **Top down:** International norms - **Bottom up:** Multicultural - Intercultural dialogue: diversity, otherness, exotropy, curiosity plus, sense of timing, attention plus, inclusiveness, courage ## 3) How to be a Diplomat - Curiosity, instead of getting angry, not being surprised by bad things anymore - Observance - Not afraid of making mistakes - Conscious attention + concentration - Decentre and enrich own identity - Deconstruct own prejudices + stereotypes - Understanding own perspective style - Empathy!!!, acknowledging own and other's emotional sphere - Sympathy - Active listening - Patience - Emotional intelligence - Respect - Collaboration - **Everyone has their own cultural identity that includes everything we have learned about ourselves, others and the world in general.** To get on the same level with someone from a different culture during communication (to understand the other person and to be understood), we must first decentre ourselves from our own self-identities and comparing levels. By that, we can approach the other culture without being too biased. Then, with the help of active listening, patience, curiosity and empathy, we get to fully grasp the perspective of the other person. To transport our own perspective, we use our emotional intelligence to first understand ourselves better and then secondly navigate our perspective through the situation. ### Emotional Intelligence - Controlling own feelings. - Reading feelings of others, treat them appropriately. - More likely to be happy, cause its inner success. - Socially balanced, cheerful, expansive. - Dedication for others, a cause, responsibility, ethical conceptions. ### Observation - Purpose + intentionality - Cognitive process to understand. - Relating characteristics to known things. - Knowledge + description, objective. - For a long period of time in a social group. - Establishing a relationship of personal interaction with its members. - To describe actions + understand motivations. ### Decentralization - From roles, self-identities, comparing levels, situations, stereotyped differences, emotions - **E.g:** A diplomat who decentralizes might avoid judging punctuality in a polychronic culture through their monochronic lens, enabling better collaboration. - **Rage is a self-punishment we inflict to ourselves for someone else's mistake.** ## International Organizations (UN, OECD) - Entity governed by international law, have an international personality. - Collecting information, monitoring trends. - Delivering services + aid. - Providing forums for bargaining + settling. ## Balboni Caon ICC model: to address cross-cultural challenges - **Soft skills** - **Values** - **Non-verbal communication** (comes before verbal communication: around 80% of perception comes from eyes, we are first seen then listened to, first right hemisphere (visual) then left hemisphere (linguistic)). - **Verbal communication** / **meta verbal dimension** (silence, irony, interruption...) - **Context communication** ## 4) Interculture, Multiculture, Diplomacy - **Multiculture**: cultural diversity existing together without much interaction (e.g. multicultural neigbourhood where they don't interact much). - **Interculture**: interaction + exchange between cultures (intercultural exchange program like Erasmus). - **Intercultural dialogue**: structured process of communication to promote understanding + cooperation between cultures. - **Intercultural competence**: capacity to bridge cultural gaps, avoid misunderstandings, foster positive relationships in intercultural exchanges. - **International relations**: the whole of political events deriving from the interaction between political units (actors) within international contexts. Human activity through which people, coming from different nations, interact as individuals and as groups. - **Intercultural diplomacy**: the ability of recognizing and including the dynamic and creative aspects of diversity in worldwide contexts, with the scope of finding new syntheses working of values mutual dimension in all aspects of international relations. - Diplomacy ≠ ideology (already pre-designed in your mind) - **Culture & Religion:** two different values, close but each have an own value, sometimes invasive in both ways. - **Diplomacy:** the art of dealing with issues of internationals politics by means of negotiations. - **Interculture** serves peace. **Diplomacy** serves peace --> **Interculture** & **Diplomacy** serve each other. - **Intercultural diplomacy**: build on intercultural phenomena + international relations. - Intercultural Diplomacy, among other issues, is the art of building human bridges worldwide, to keep the role of dialogue in international relations stronger and healthier. Several bridges make a Net. A Planetary Net is the hidden brazier through which the Fire of Peace keeps on burning. - **Soft skills / transversal competences**: assessment, reading, studying, evaluation, analyzing, connecting data, comparison, participation, communication. ## 5) 5 'dimensions' of cultural differences (Geert Hofstede) - To describe and compare cultures, providing insights into how cultural values influence behaviour, communication, and social norms. - **(Between those who have it and those who endure it):** rigid hierarchy/authority vs. equality - **Uncertainty avoidance:** (perceived as dangerous or interesting): structure/predictability vs. riskiness - **Individualism vs. collectivism:** personal achievements/independence vs. group harmony/interdependence. - **Masculinity vs. Femininity** (how this is reflected in the social and relational aspects of a country): competitiveness vs. cooperation. - **Indulgence vs. restraint** (in terms of expectations regarding the effort/reward relationship): fun vs. duty ## 6) Brain - **Right and left hemisphere**: 50% still unknown to science. - **Right**: creative, spontaneous, image, intution, instincts. - **Left**: logic, numbers, deduction. - **Incoherence**: brain tries to make up explanations of why we don't see what we want to see right now. - **Automatism:** automatic patterns, not necessarily a bad thing, but important to be conscious about it concerning stereotypes and pre-judices. - **Primacy effect:** first things are remembered better than information that comes later (what we learn in childhood is crucial, no matter the cultural context). - **Solution:** hic et nunc (“here and now”) = our actions are performed here and now, in the immediacy of the present; the past and the future, however important, are memories, time flows inexorably and life is here and now. - **An open, inclusive and curious manner in the face of diversity means training:** - People who consciously choose which communicative and cultural models to accept, tolerate and refuse, in the various situations in which they find themselves. - Professionals who know how to avoid unwanted conflict brought about by cultural differences. - Protagonists in a world where ethnic cleansing is replaced by curiosity, respect and an interest in solutions other than our own. ## 7) EU - Development of intercultural awareness. - Respecting cultural diversity to promote peace, tolerance, human rights. - Expansion to education, immigration issues. - Integration of cultural diversity in the EU's policies. - Culture is now seen as a tool for development, innovation, cooperation. - 70s/80s: programs to promote diversity in schools (esp. for migrant worker children). - 90s, Maastricht Treaty: cooperation in education and culture across EU members. - 2000s: even stronger actions to link education, culture and societal development. - Post-9/11 shift: EU has a stronger international role, “United in diversity.” - 2008: year of Intercultural Dialogue, events for cultural exchange across Europe. ## Theory | Theory | Key Focus | Main Assumptions | Application in International Relations | |---|---|---|---| | Realism | The stronger wins, power dynamics, state interests, pragmatism over ethics | - States are the main protagonists in an anarchic international system -> war is an ever-lasting danger. - National interest and survival drive state behaviour. - Military power is essential for security. - No trust, best security is continual change in IR alliances. | Emphasizes balance of power and deterrence strategies. Views international organizations as secondary to state interests. | | Constructivism | Mutual identities, social constructs, shared ideas over conflict/military, world is a phenomenon of relationships | - Internal factors ARE important (civil society) - Birth of International Organizations? - New powerful comers: is confrontation forever? - Eternal balance between cooperation and conflict - Defending security or powerfulness? - Focus on a rigid structure, but not on natural interrelations - **Paradoxes:** Logic/illogic; old/new-global; selfish/cooperative - International relations are shaped by social interactions and shared beliefs. - Power, money + identities, non-material interests. - Identities and norms influence state behaviour. - Reality is socially constructed. - Self-security is OK but also common security (peace lasts more) - Facts + ideas, images, perceptions, assertiveness - **Soft power:** Power to do what one wants, towards others who think differently, influencing + attracting them, changing the idea of power (preferences matter, global scenario) Co-optation > coercion, know the preferences of others, rather sharing | Highlights the role of international norms and identities. Explains changes in international politics through evolving ideas. | | Neoliberalism | Cooperation, economic interdependence | - Cooperation is possible in an anarchic system through institutions + economic interdependence. - Economic ties and international organizations reduce conflict. - Conflict is avoidable (shared interests + goals). | Focuses on the role of international institutions in facilitating cooperation. Advocates for free trade and economic integration. | |Behaviourism | Quasi-human state, observable behaviours, empirical analysis | - Behaviour is learned through interaction with the environment. - Decision-making focus helps to understand issues. - Actors do more when they get involved in decisions and they are emotional. - Actors are more collaborative when working on shared goals. - More actors together make better decisions than a bunch alone. | Analysing state behaviour. Seeks patterns and regularities in international interactions. Behaviour varies because of relations. | | Psychology | Human state, psychological factors influence behaviour | - Cognitive biases + perceptions shape actions. - Emotions in crises/conflicts (civil society). - The psychology of radicalization and political violence (the fake of faith belonging). - Identities in religion, gender, nationalism. - Trust and empathy in IR. - Interpersonal dynamics in face-to-face diplomacy (Berlusconi case). - Defensiveness, aggressiveness, characters. | Analyses leaders' perceptions and misperceptions in foreign policy. Studies the impact of psychological factors on diplomacy. | | Naif Realism | others experience situations the same way we do | | |