Diplomatic

Naim Dedushaj’s thesis “Paradiplomatic relations between the United States and Kosova” studies the relations between the Albanian nation and America that date way back in history. The first Albanian immigrants moved to the United States in the second half of the 19th century. The major migration flows from Kosova and other parts in ex-Yugoslavia took place in the 20th century. Albanian-Americans from Kosova organized themselves actively and played a crucial role in sensitizing the American leadership about the Albanian and Kosova issue. Dedushaj argues that the activities of the Albanian-American community should not be underestimated when studying the American policies towards Kosova in the 1990s. How were the paradiplomatic relations established and maintained between the representatives of Kosova and the United States administration? What has been the role of these relations in the recent developments in Kosova? This thesis shows how the establishment of the LDK (Democratic League of Kosova) branches and their paradiplomatic activities had a crucial role in influencing both the policies of the American Congress as well as the White House and finally in the determination of the status of Kosova.

The aim of this research was to examine the communication trends in diplomacy with a focus on Uganda. The central question examined the role of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in diplomacy and the extent to which States have adopted its use. In this Thesis the application of ICT in the conduct of Uganda’s diplomacy is also compared to best practice in other countries. The findings indicated that the Government of Uganda has put in place an ICT policy and created institutions to support the formation of E-government, even though full implementation is yet to materialize. Findings also show that Uganda’s diplomatic service is cognizant of the importance of ICT in the conduct of diplomacy and has since 2004, formulated an ICT master plan, which is currently being implemented, despite the challenges faced. The study concludes that the use of ICT as a channel of communication in diplomacy can only thrive based on the wider effort of successful implementation of E-governance in Uganda. Some recommendations are also made with regard to enhancement of Uganda’s diplomatic communication.

As times change so do customs generally. In diplomacy protocol too changes and develops, mirroring broader societal norms. This paper discusses developments in protocol and how it provides the commonly accepted norms of behaviour for the conduct of relations between states.

In this paper, Drazen Pehar analyses the argumentation made by George Lakoff of the University of California at Berkeley in his seminal paper  on ‘Metaphor and War’, in which he tried to deconstruct the rhetoric U.S. president George Bush used to justify the war in the Gulf. He also analyses a reading by psycho-historian Lloyd deMause, whose theory differs from Lakoff’s. Throughout his analysis, Pehar describes the role of rhetoric in diplomatic prevention of armed conflicts, and its several functions, and concludes that the methods of preventive diplomacy depend heavily on the theory of leaders’ rhetoric one considers credible.

In his paper, J. Thomas Converse focuses on four records-related areas where the issues of knowledge management and diplomacy come together and provide the greatest challenges to archivists, diplomats, historians and technology providers: validation, trustworthiness, context and longevity. He also explores some of the changes and challenges brought about by technology, and urges for a continued embrace of technology, while at the same time demanding the validating and relational functions which give archives their trustworthiness.