Introducing … public speaking.

I think I just found the new intro for next fall’s lecture.

Ask the Esquire Guy’s Unconventional Guide to Public Speaking

Diplomat as Defense Attorney: The Ethics of Disagreement

Occasionally students balk at defending a particular policy in a simulation.  Sometimes it amazes me how long it takes them to internalize the issues involved and the role they are asked to play.  It shouldn’t come as a surprise, as ethical issues frequently take time to internalize, process, and think through.

Diplomats face similar challenges, with documented examples involving the John Rabe‘s heroic efforts during Japanese incursion into China, various of the “righteous” during the European Holocaust, and even the more recent U.S. decision by President George W. Bush to go back into Iraq as well as consternation over President Obama’s ongoing war in Afghanistan.

In reviewing some key work on ethics and diplomacy, I stumbled upon this student research list which includes some of the greatest hits of the genre, including Kiesling’s “The Duty of Diplomatic Dissent,” “The Professional Diplomat and his Problems, 1919-1939″ by Gordon A. Craig, and “Democracy, Loyalty, Disobedience, by Howard E. Dean”–all pointing to the ethical dilemmas facing on-duty diplomats in both implementing and responding to policies they didn’t create. (See Professional Ethics of Diplomats « Ren’s Micro Diplomacy.)

In explaining the way the diplomat’s role works, my preferred metaphor is the defense attorney who represents someone viewed widely as despicable or inherently guilty.  Even so, the U.S. Constitution specifically enumerates this person’s right to a vigorous and effective defense.

A Lesson in Diplomatic Styles, Old and New

The new U.S. Ambassador to Russia, Michael McFaul, left Stanford to help advise and now implement the Obama Administration’s policy vis-a-vis Russia.  His approach is designed to shake things up, and as the NYT reports today, he’s doing just that.

“Not only is my style going to be different, but the methods I’m going to use might also be different,” said Mr. McFaul, a Russian speaker who has lived here for long stretches. “I have a lot of things from my past that may be constraining, but one thing I know how to do, or I think I know how to do, is get up in front of 500 20-year-olds.”

Mr. McFaul’s open, passionate manner will serve American interests, said Sergei A. Markov, an old friend and co-author. Mr. Markov, now a Putin loyalist and a member of United Russia, the governing party, recalled his arguments with Mr. McFaul as some of the loudest of his life.

“Diplomats are cold and McFaul is warm; that is the difference,” he said. “A spirited person representing America is always good for America. America is a very spirited country.”

There are risks, too. Some in the opposition cringed at the footage from outside the embassy, saying it gave credence to the government’s arguments about United States interference. And Mr. McFaul’s job will require him to build ties with all parts of Russian society — including its leaders, some of whom genuinely believe that the United States is working to undermine Mr. Putin, said Dmitri V. Trenin, director of the Carnegie Moscow Center and an old friend.

“He will be under tremendous pressure,” Mr. Trenin said. “He has extremely good assets that he could use to become perhaps the best American ambassador to this country — to the Russian empire or the Soviet Union or the Russian Federation. Or he can be a disaster. The difference in how you handle yourself can be very slight.”

via Russia Gives New U.S. Envoy, McFaul, Cold Shoulder – NYTimes.com.

Although Ross Douthat was aiming at candidate skills, his understanding of what is required for an effective leader in the U.S.political  system is helpful in thinking about other arenas, as well.  He suggests the skills of management, persuasion, and demagoguery.  He describes each skill set as follows [my headings, Douthat's prose after the ellipse]:

Manager: … [the] C.E.O. of his or her campaign, with a flair for fund-raising, an eye for talent, and a keen sense of when to micromanage and when to delegate. This is the arm-twisting, organization-building, endorsement-corralling side of presidential politics, and not surprisingly it tends to favor insiders and deal-makers and old Washington hands.

Persuader: …the more public, rhetorical, self-advertising side of politics….The great manager is unlikely to be a great persuader, capable of seducing undecided voters with his empathy, or inspiring them with what George H. W. Bush (who lacked it) called “the vision thing.”

Demagogue:  …capable of demonizing his enemies and convincing his supporters that they stand at Armageddon and battle for the Lord.

via A Good Candidate is Hard to Find – NYTimes.com

Obituary | Charles Price, Important U.S Ambassador to the U.K. – Telegraph

Noting the passing of midwestern giant Charles H. Price, II, former U.S. ambassador to Britain under President Reagan:

Although Prime Minister and President formed a firm friendship, the “special relationship” was not without its problems . Mrs Thatcher had been angered by the lack of consultation before the US-led invasion of Grenada in October 1983, and by American moves to resume arms sales to Argentina after the Falklands conflict.

Also, anti-American attitudes hardened in Britain during the 1980s, principally as a result of the deployment of Cruise missiles on British soil and the bombing of Libya in 1986, when the Prime Minister allowed the Americans to fly aircraft from their British bases.

It was a tribute to Price’s diplomatic skills that he weathered these problems and was widely regarded as one of the most successful and popular American envoys of recent times. Affable and distinguished looking, he was known affectionately as “Charlie”

via Charles Price – Telegraph.

Booklist | Best Reads 2011 for Diplomacy and International Affairs

In 2011 the lessons of US conflict, financial meltdowns, and ongoing political cycle made for a whole lot to think about.  These books are moving to the top of my booklist for better insights into diplomacy and international affairs–not because I have read them, but because they come highly recommended and touch on what I see as important topics.  Feedback is welcome.

 

• ARGUABLY: Essays by Christopher Hithens.  With his passing the world has lost an estimable writer, debater, and a formidable foe for all who believe in God.
• CATHERINE THE GREAT: Portrait of a Woman by Robert K. Massie.  Because you can never read enough Russian history.
• GEORGE F. KENNAN: An American Life by John Lewis Gaddis.  The most important biography for students of diplomacy and foreign policy of the year by an estimable giant in the field.
• MORE THAN GOOD INTENTIONS by Dean Karlan and Jacob Appel.  Is foreign aid all bad? Here comes a third way for thinking about international development.
• PAKISTAN: A Hard Country by Anatol Lieven.  An inside look at a critical country that many fail to fully understand, especially with very high stakes, including nuclear weapons, strained military/civilian relations, and regional conflicts.
• THE GREAT BIG BOOK OF HORRIBLE THINGS by Matthew White.  An amateur’s major contribution to documenting war.  In the broad sweep of history, we can see more clearly the impact and depths of humanity’s inhumanity–and also better understand by comparison of how many people were lost in each.
• THINKING FAST AND SLOW by Daniel Kahneman.  Treading in the footsteps of Malcolm Gladwell, this Nobel recognized psychologist presents his life’s work addressing decision making, intuition, and what it means for persuasion.
• THE SWERVE: How The World Became Modern, by Stephen Greenblatt.  The debate over modernity continues–but it warrants consideration as to how the West arrived here.
• THE QUEST: Energy, Security, and the Remaking of the Modern World by Daniel Yergin.  His earlier book explained the world of energy and this one shows how policy should be directed in this critical area.
• THE UNQUIET AMERICAN: Richard Holbrooke in the World by Derek Chollett and Samantha Power.  A review of the one of the most important American diplomats of the past thirty years.
• TO END ALL WARS: A Story Of Loyalty And Rebellion, 1914-1918 by Adam Hochschild.  A new perspective by a writer with a social conscience the “great war” that explores its supporters versus detractors, rather than necessarily looking at it from the sides of various combatants.
• THE INFLUENCING MACHINE by Brooke Gladstone, illustrated by Josh Neufeld.  Who are the media and what does it mean for “great journalism” in the face of multiplying online content, amateur writers, and emerging forms for conveying information?
• WHAT IT IS LIKE TO GO TO WAR by Karl Marlantes.  With Iraq scaling down and Afghanistan still ongoing, our need to better understand the horror and lasting effects of conflict remains high.
• WHY THE WEST RULES–FOR NOW: The Patterns of History, and What they Reveal About the Future by Ian Morris.  Focus for a moment on the most important nexus of international politics–the east/west axis.

 

Booklist | The Unquiet American: Richard Holbrooke in the World

Finally, the urgently awaited book on Holbrooke.  Think of this as the Steven Jobs book for diplomats:

Holbrooke was not unaccustomed to being a singular figure. In a handsome eulogy to George Kennan in 2005, he observed: “In today’s Washington, with its emphasis on orthodox thinking, such a person could never rise inside the government. . . . This is a great loss, because, as the life of George F. Kennan shows, individual, original thinking by one lonely person can sometimes illuminate and guide us better than all the high-level panels and commissions and interagency meetings.” That might also serve as an appropriate epitaph for Holbrooke.

via The Unquiet American – Richard Holbrooke in the World – Edited by Derek Chollet and Samantha Power – Book Review – NYTimes.com.

In Africa, the Art of Listening – NYTimes.com

Listening is a key skill for diplomacy–and essential for writers and global citizens, as well.

In Africa listening is a guiding principle. It’s a principle that’s been lost in the constant chatter of the Western world, where no one seems to have the time or even the desire to listen to anyone else. From my own experience, I’ve noticed how much faster I have to answer a question during a TV interview than I did 10, maybe even 5, years ago. It’s as if we have completely lost the ability to listen. We talk and talk, and we end up frightened by silence, the refuge of those who are at a loss for an answer.

via In Africa, the Art of Listening – NYTimes.com.

Booklist | George F. Kennan: An American Life, by John Lewis Gaddis

How much do you know about Mr. X?

While writing this essay, I asked several young men and women what George F. Kennan meant to them. As it turned out, nearly all were essentially oblivious of the man or his role in shaping American foreign policy. Yet Kennan had fashioned the concept of containment in the name of which the cold war was conducted and won and almost concurrently had also expressed some of the most trenchant criticism of the way his own theory was being implemented. To the present generation, Kennan has receded into a vague past as has their parents’ struggle to bring forth a new international order amid the awesome, unprecedented power of nuclear weapons.

via George F. Kennan – An American Life – By John Lewis Gaddis – Book Review – NYTimes.com.

In light of tomorrow’s campus lecture by the son of Nikita Khrushchev focusing on that seminal Cold War crisis between superpowers, Kennan seems to be an unsung and (apparently) unknown hero of diplomatic policy and grand strategic thinking.

Booklist | G. R. Berridge’s Reading List

Looking for holiday reading on the life of an English Consul in Smyrna circa 1667?  How about the authoritative account of the Congress of Arras in 1435?  Eurudite diplomacy scholar and emeritus Professor G.R. Berridge of the Center for the Study of Diplomacy at the University of Leicester and author of Diplomacy: Theory and Practice, 4th ed (Palgrave) offers up some oldies but goodies in the study of diplomatic history:

I list below, in categories corresponding roughly to the chapters in my textbook, books which I believe valuable to all students of diplomacy and are available via Amazon.

• History of diplomacy
• Ministries of Foreign Affairs
• Diplomatic law
• Negotiating
• Modern bilateral diplomacy
• Multilateral diplomacy (including the UN and summitry)
• Mediation

via G. R. Berridge website: Recommended Reading.

Obama Sees Economic Power of Asia-Pacific Region – NYTimes.com

Diplomacy amidst the white sand beaches and pineapple farms of Hawaii:

Underscoring the region’s importance to the U.S., Obama on Saturday, as expected, announced the broad outlines of an agreement to create a transpacific trade zone encompassing the United States and eight other nations. He said details must still be worked out, but said the goal was to complete the deal by next year. ‘I’m confident we can get this done,” he said.

On a day of heavy diplomacy, the president also was looking to contain deepening worries over Iran amid a fresh U.N. atomic agency report that Iran is working secretly on a nuclear weapon.

On the sidelines of an Asia-Pacific economic summit, Obama met with Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihiko Noda and was to meet with Chinese President Hu Jintao and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. The timing of the meetings with the Russian and Chinese leaders was particularly significant as Obama seeks to increase world pressure on Iran.

via Obama Sees Economic Power of Asia-Pacific Region – NYTimes.com.

Another interesting quote on any China wasn’t invited to the ‘trade bloc’ dance:

In a sign of potential tension with China, Mike Froman, a deputy national security adviser who focuses on international economic matters, shrugged off complaints from China that it had not been invited to join the trade bloc. He told reporters that China had not expressed interest in joining and said the trade group “is not something that one gets invited to. It’s something that one aspires to.”