Human Diplomacy and Spirituality

This paper explores two neglected aspects of historical as well as contemporary diplomatic practice. The first aspect concerns the human dimension of diplomacy, that is to say, the non-technical, experimental and experiential diplomacy of everyday life. The second aspect concerns the spiritual and transformative potential of diplomacy, that is a form of diplomacy whose mission is not only, not just, the knowledge and control of the Other, but fundamentally the knowledge of the Self; and crucially this knowledge of the Self as a more reflective means of dealing with and transforming relations with Others. The thesis of this paper is based on the assumption that conventional approaches to diplomacy (i.e. approaches that view diplomacy as merely an intergovernmental affair, as management of interstate relations or as primarily the pursuit and negotiation of national interests) are not able to account for either the rich history or current complexity of the diplomatic world.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Costas M. Constantinou is Senior Lecturer in the School of Politics, International Relations and Philosophy, Keele University, UK. He has also taught at the Universities of Hull, Lancaster and METU. He has published articles on diplomatic theory and history, political discourse, security and human communication in, inter alia, Alternatives, Global Society, International Journal for the Semiotics of Law, Mediterranean Politics, Millennium and Postcolonial Studies. He is the author of On the Way to Diplomacy (1996) and States of Political Discourse (2004).