The New Diplomacy

The reflective group blog of the students on The New Diplomacy module at London Metropolitan University

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Thursday, 30 April 2009

My understanding of diplomacy today

How do I perceive diplomacy today? It would probably be the more suitable question to ask myself. I was fortunate enough to grow up in a family of diplomats where diplomacy at first seemed to me as a fascinating job full of eternal lavishing parties, beautiful gowns and black ties and most of all impressive big buildings full of serious looking adults that barely smile. Well that was at least my impression as a child. Eventually when I grew up and woke up from my fantasy I realized that being a diplomat is an exhausting job requiring endless preparations, long working hours, a total devotion and most of allagility, good oratory (convince the others that what is good for you is good for them) and most of all the establishment of good relationships in the country of residency. Of course masked secrecy is a very important element of diplomacy and is ever still present. Diplomacy has evolved through times like everything else around us. It is no longer reserved for aristocrats and conducted strictly between states. It is essential to mention globalization and its effects on diplomacy: the interconnectedness and interdependence have infiltrated all aspects of international relations from politics to economy and environment. States can no longer respond on their own to the challenges and the recourse to non-governmental resources such as NGO’s, MNC becomes a necessity. Terms such as multilateralism and shuttle diplomacy have become non-detachable elements of today’s diplomacy. Negotiations are conducted on multiple levels involving extensively non-state actors as well. Scrutiny and accountability are much more present , an additional pressure brought by the new information age where manipulation of public opinion becomes a tougher task .This leads us to the important role of public diplomacy in the success of constructive negotiations between states and the importance of soft power (reliability on diplomacy) to achieve greater results. And if I try to give a more precise definition of Diplomacy today the following will be: multilateral relations and negotiations involving non-state actors conducted between states.

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LESSON 2

2.1. Грамматическое время Present Perfect / Past Simple

а) Present Perfect I've read "War and Peace". (Action completed before now.) I've already been there twice. (We are not concerned with when.) He has worked in Greece for the last three years. (He is still there.) All actions began in the past. If they have been completed, the fact is relevant now but the time is not.

She's never seen the sea. The Present Perfect often occurs with 'just, yet, already, never, ever, so far, up to now'.

N.B. I haven't seen it this week. I didn't see it last week. I haven't had a holiday this year. I didn't have one last year.

b) Past Simple I've already been there. Have you ever been? I've just finished. I've been six times up to now. So far he hasn't regretted it.

I wore the tie on Saturday. (Action performed in the past.) He read Hamlet last week. (A specified time.)

We are often told when the action happened, with a time adverbial. I haven't done any work today. I didn't do any work yesterday.