Text 1: defining diplomacy

1. Diplomacy is the art and practice of conducting negotiations between accredited persons (the diploma of the diplomat) representing groups or nations. It usually refers to international diplomacy, the conduct of international relations through the intercession of professional diplomats with regard to issues of peace-making, culture, economics, trade and war. International treaties are usually negotiated by diplomats prior to endorsement by national politicians.

2. In an informal or social sense, diplomacy is the employment of tact to gain strategic advantage, one set of tools being the phrasing of statements in a non-confrontational, or social manner.

3. There are two major forms of diplomacy. The simplest and the oldest is bilateral diplomacy between two states. Bilateral diplomacy is still common with many treaties between two states (e.g. the Canadian-American Free Trade Agreement), and it is the main concern of embassies and state visits. The other form of diplomacy is multilateral diplomacy involving many states. Formal multilateral diplomacy is normally dated to the Congress of Vienna in the nineteenth century. Since then, multilateralism has grown in importance. Today most trade treaties, such as the WTO and FTAA, arms control agreements, such as the Partial Test Ban Treaty and Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty, and environmental agreements, such as the Kyoto Accord, are multilateral. The United Nations is the most important institution of multilateral diplomacy.

4. There is a third form of diplomacy, in fact a variant of multilateral diplomacy, i.e. regional diplomacy, that is multilateral diplomacy that is practiced within a closed circle of geographic neighbors. We might call it 'multilateral diplomacy among intimates'. Since neighborhood is a fact of life, regional diplomacy involves a close blend of the bilateral and the limited group multilateral methods in pursuit of mutual interests.

5. A diplomat is someone involved in diplomacy; the collective term for a group of diplomats from a single country is a diplomatic mission. An ambassador is the most senior diplomatic rank; a diplomatic mission headed by an ambassador is known as an embassy. The collective body of all diplomats resident in a particular country is called a diplomatic corps.

AFTER-READING activity

• Read the text in more depth to do the ‘After-reading exercises’.

Ex. 1 Comprehension questions.

1. Do diplomats negotiate international treaties?

2. Is there any difference between multilateral diplomacy and regional diplomacy?

3. What is a diplomatic corps?

• Work with the dictionary and consult the text to do ex. 2 and 3

Ex. 2 Translate from English into Russian

The art and practice of conducting negotiations; the conduct of international relations; intercession of professional diplomats; international treaties; in an informal or social sense; employment of tact.

Ex. 3 Translate from Russian into English

Проводить переговоры; получить стратегическое преимущество; посредничество дипломатов; миротворческая деятельность; двухстороннее / многостороннее соглашение; что касается.

Ex. 4. Find sentences in the text to illustrate the usage of the following vocabulary:

International relations, professional diplomats, with regard to, within a closed circle of, a close blend of; intercession of professional; issues of peace-making; endorsement by national politicians; in an informal or social sense.

Ex. 5 Complete each sentence with a word or phrase from the box. Translate into Russian. (Key)

Accord – 3; agreement – 3; treaty – 2; treaties – 1; negotiations – 1; negotiate – 1; ambassador – 1; ambassadress –1; with regard to – 1; representatives – 1.

1. He studied law and was appointed ................... to Paris in the 1970s.

2. They made a secret ........................ not to tell anyone about their plans.

3. The two sides signed a peace ............ in 1994 after a nine-year civil war that killed 500000.

4. It is important to the success of any firm that its partners should be in complete .............. .

5. After months of negotiations, he eventually persuaded them to sign a peace .................. . Is there any agreement on how much aid will be sent?

6. A contract can also be terminated by mutual ....................... of the parties.

7. Jefferson later persuaded the U.S. Senate to ratify the ................ .

8. To reach an ..............., the government will likely have to devalue its currency, which would help boost exports.

9. Some countries still refuse to sign ..................s banning chemical weapons.

10. ................... involving 108 nations have been bogged down over the issue of refugees.

11. Congress could not come up with an ...................... on a spending plan for the next year.

12. UN representatives are trying ...................... a ceasefire.

13. Late last night, the French ........................ was summoned to the Foreign Office to discuss the crisis.

14. Modern drugs are better ............................ side-effects.

15. Japan has refused to send ............................. to the talks in Geneva.

16. Not only an ambassador, but an ........................... had been asked to meet them.

Ex. 6. Translate into English (Key)

1) Он отправил послов, чтобы установить равноправное сотрудничество (equal alliance) с Китайской империей. 2) Встретить их попросили не только посла, но и его жену 3) Ратификация любых договоров - прерогатива Сената. 4) Старые враги могут стать новыми друзьями, даже если национальные интересы не полностью совпадают. 5) Мы достигли консенсуса с сопредельным государством по вопросу общей границы. 6) Мы заключили с ними договор о тесном и долговременном сотрудничестве. 7) Они пришли к соглашению по всем вопросам. 8) Мы разработали предварительный вариант соглашения. 9) Они договорились разделить доходы поровну (profits would be shared equally). 10) Неужто послана самим мне Богом ты? 11) Они подписали договор о решении всех пограничных конфликтов через арбитраж (to settle all border disputes by arbitration). 12) Уполномоченный министр. 13) Что касается вашего запроса, по нему не вынесли решения. 14) Ведутся переговоры 14) Наш посол представил протест их правительству. 15) Участники переговоров приняли решение о выводе войск (that all troops would be withdrawn) . 16) Палата представителей.

Ex. 7. Make up sentences with:

Diplomacy; diplomatic immunity; negotiations are under way; to represent; (a foreign embassy; ambassador extraordinary and plenipotentiary; to conclude, sign a treaty —break (violate; denounce) an in accord with smth; social life; intercession of professional diplomats; issues of peace-making; endorsement by national politicians; to give one's endorsement; in a sense; with regard to.

• Write an essay on diplomacy. Give your arguments ‘for’ and / or ‘against’ diplomacy.