Papers by Yolanda K Spies
Springer eBooks, Aug 7, 2018
SAGE Publications Ltd eBooks, 2016
Springer eBooks, Oct 9, 2018
This final substantive chapter of the book deals with a hybrid approach rather than a distinct di... more This final substantive chapter of the book deals with a hybrid approach rather than a distinct diplomatic mode. Structural diplomacy is geared—in purpose as well as methodology—towards the terms of interaction in the international system. It confronts the discrepancies between notions of global ‘democracy’ and the actual, entrenched hierarchies of power. The chapter focuses therefore on the perennial power-diplomacy nexus. Spies recounts how, in recent decades, the Global South has assumed agency in addressing systemic flaws in world order. She explains the role of middle powers in providing norm entrepreneurship (inter alia as concerns equity in the forums of global governance) and the intriguing diplomacy of emerging powers who are using the ‘rules of the game’ to challenge the architecture of global power.
In this chapter, Spies focuses on bilateral diplomacy, the oldest and most traditional diplomatic... more In this chapter, Spies focuses on bilateral diplomacy, the oldest and most traditional diplomatic mode. It encapsulates basics of diplomatic practice—principles, techniques and processes that are replicated in all the other modes of diplomacy. The discussion is structured according to the five functions of diplomatic missions, as per the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations . Spies explains how these duties have expanded in recent decades, how they are executed even in the absence of resident embassies, and how struggling states are affected by deficits in diplomatic capacity. The impact of information and communication technology on diplomacy’s core tasks is discussed, as are the implications of a greater spectrum of stakeholders—not least the public of a host state—that need to be engaged by diplomats.
Springer eBooks, Oct 9, 2018
In this chapter, the newest diplomatic mode, polylateral diplomacy, is analysed. Spies explains t... more In this chapter, the newest diplomatic mode, polylateral diplomacy, is analysed. Spies explains the catalytic processes that constitute this interface of official diplomacy with private initiatives. Non-state actors operate at domestic, transnational, international and global levels, and their de facto diplomacy often happens in parallel to that of sovereign states, challenging the latter’s jurisdiction. This has made the contemporary diplomatic arena pluralistic, dynamic and complex. Spies identifies the main categories of non-state diplomatic actors and explains their comparative advantages vis-a-vis state actors. The global public commons, where delivery of global public goods is at stake, is discussed to contextualise the intersection of state and societal interests. The intersection makes it imperative for joint ventures in statecraft and civilcraft—essentially the networked model that polylateral diplomacy entails.
Springer eBooks, Oct 5, 2021
South Africa is often included in analyses of middle power on account of its international reputa... more South Africa is often included in analyses of middle power on account of its international reputation and foreign policy behaviour. The country’s norm entrepreneurship is evident in matters such as nuclear non-proliferation, conflict resolution, the provision of development assistance and diplomatic leadership in multilateral forums. However, in quantitative terms, South Africa’s material capabilities fall short of the conventional middle power range. In qualitative terms, its international behaviour is atypical as well and riddled with contradictions. These anomalies reflect the complex domestic identity of ‘the world in one country’. It straddles the Global North–South divide, and this microcosmic symbolism contributes significantly to the country’s ideational power. In the fast-evolving new structure of global power, South Africa clearly wields ‘awkward’ power.
Global South Perspectives on Diplomacy, 2018
The focus of this chapter is multilateral diplomacy, a mode that has developed exponentially over... more The focus of this chapter is multilateral diplomacy, a mode that has developed exponentially over the past century for a variety of practical, normative and symbolic reasons. The expansion and diversification of international society, in particular the emergence of the Global South, has fed the phenomenon. Spies identifies the contemporary manifestations of multilateral diplomacy: the traditional distinction between conference and parliamentary diplomacy; new concepts such as ‘minilateral’, ‘network’ and ‘club’ diplomacy; as well as multilateral-within-multilateral diplomacy, i.e. different forms of ‘plurilateral’ diplomacy. Attention is given to the role of intergovernmental organisations (IGOs) because they create hubs of multilateral diplomacy and they are important diplomatic actors in their own right. The opportunities and challenges inherent to multilateral diplomacy are explored from the state-centric perspective of foreign ministries.
Global South Perspectives on Diplomacy, 2018
In 1981, the United Nations General Assembly decided to dedicate a specific day-21 September-to t... more In 1981, the United Nations General Assembly decided to dedicate a specific day-21 September-to the annual commemoration of peace. Laudable as this initiative was, the establishment of an International Day of Peace highlighted the sad reality that, most of the time in many parts of the world, peace is nothing more than a 'wish'. In literature on diplomacy, the (elusive) quest for global peace and security is a constant subtext. It is fitting for an institution that pivots on intermediation, an activity that implies the reduction, management or resolution of conflict 1 between and among actors. It is such a strong theme in diplomacy that 'a number of writers have raised the possibility that diplomacy's identity as a discrete practice may be subsumed under broader notions of conflict resolution and bargaining' (Sharp 1998: 59). To be sure, any effort to broker or maintain international peace has cooperative ventures at its core, and in this regard the profession of diplomacy, by its very raison d'être, fits the job description exactly. Many multilateral organisations were founded with this goal in mind. The SADC Treaty (1992) and the ASEAN Charter (2007), like so many other IGO constitutions, both have the 'peaceful settlement of disputes' enshrined as fundamental objectives. Indeed, during the twentieth century it became common within organisations to institutionalise the intercessionary diplomacy that is required to address disputes. The trend was CHAPTER 4
Global Diplomacy and International Society, 2019
The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in this p... more 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 first year of the second decade of the 21st century was replete with enormity in the internat... more The first year of the second decade of the 21st century was replete with enormity in the international relations sphere, ranging from the natural disaster of Japan's earthquake, to the human-engineered financial meltdown at the heart of the world's largest economic bloc, the European Union. Within an otherwise turbulent year, some aspiring states took audacious steps: South Sudan became the world's newest sovereign state when it obtained independence on 9 July 2011 and less than a week later joined the United Nations (UN), while a few months later Palestine tried, with much fanfare but less success, to do the same.
The current existential juncture of professional diplomacy is marked by critical reflection on it... more The current existential juncture of professional diplomacy is marked by critical reflection on its raison d'etre. On the one hand, critics denounce the profession as an anachronism : they claim that unprecedented changes in the form and substance of international relations have, in the course of the twentieth century, transformed the world to such an extent that the need for professional diplomats has been obviated. Proponents, on the other hand, proclaim the profession's indispensable and perennial value to international society. They point out that diplomacy has become a growth industry, and that it is experiencing, as it always has, evolutionary development and adaptation to global conditions. The ensuing article contextualises this intellectual debate in order to elucidate the changing international realities that demand and challenge the contributions of professional diplomats. It does not entertain normative reflection on the institution of diplomacy, but focuses instead on efficacy in the attendant profession and its machinery.
The Hague Journal of Diplomacy, 2021
Summary The pioneering diplomatic role of African states in the establishment of the ICC, with it... more Summary The pioneering diplomatic role of African states in the establishment of the ICC, with its unprecedented legal mandate, was a triumph for a continent with a recent history of legal — diplomatic subjugation. However, the Court’s perceived Afro-centric bias since its inception, contradiction of sovereign immunity custom, and blatant manipulation by the UN Security Council has prompted the African Union to recommend en masse withdrawal. By contrast, this article makes the case that the continent, rather than being a victim of selective, politicised justice, has capitalised on its ICC membership. The Court has become ‘Africanised’ in its substantive specialisation, its executive profile has assumed an African identity and Africa’s penchant for collective diplomacy is facilitated by quantitative advantage in ICC membership. Maximising its diplomatic agency and using the ICC’s principle of complementarity, Africa now has a unique opportunity to insert itself instrumentally at the ...
Journal for Contemporary History, 2016
Oxford Handbooks Online, 2016
R2P invokes the power-morality nexus in international relations and interrogates the rules of eng... more R2P invokes the power-morality nexus in international relations and interrogates the rules of engagement that anchor international society. Conceptualization of R2P as a liberal Western construct can therefore be divisive, especially when operationalization of the norm—as happened during the 2011 intervention in Libya—feeds into a West-against-the-Rest narrative. This is unfortunate because the R2P doctrine has deep roots in the non-Western world—Africa in particular—and Global South perspectives continue to strengthen its conceptual development. Emerging powers challenge the status quo of structural power and their rhetoric on R2P often invokes mistrust of Western altruism in international politics. Their actions, on the other hand, prove that they are no less prone to realpolitik in the normative domain. State actors in the normative middle of international politics, including developed as well as developing countries, are well placed to bridge the West-versus-the-Rest schism and ...
Regions & Cohesion, 2011
The Responsibility to Protect is a new human security paradigm that re-conceptualizes state sover... more The Responsibility to Protect is a new human security paradigm that re-conceptualizes state sovereignty as a responsibility rather than a right. Its seminal endorsement by the 2005 World Summit has however not consolidated the intellectual parameters of the norm. Neither has it succeeded in galvanizing R2P's doctrinal development; hence the January 2009 appeal by the UN secretary-general for the international community to operationalize R2P at the doctrinal level, in addition to at institutional and policy levels. R2P represents a critical stage in the debate on intervention for human protection purposes, but its key concepts require more exploration. Africa is a uniquely placed stakeholder in R2P on account of its disproportionate share of humanitarian crises and because Africans have played key roles in conceptualizing the norm. The continent should therefore not just offer an arena for, but indeed take the lead…
South African Journal of International Affairs, 2016
Dina Esfandiary and Ariane Tabatabai’s book examines Iran’s foreign policy vis-a-vis two great po... more Dina Esfandiary and Ariane Tabatabai’s book examines Iran’s foreign policy vis-a-vis two great powers, Russia and China, and the global implications of relations among this ‘Triple Axis’. The autho...
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Papers by Yolanda K Spies