| CODE | EST5341 | ||||||||||||||||
| TITLE | The EU and Mediterranean Diplomacy | ||||||||||||||||
| UM LEVEL | 05 - Postgraduate Modular Diploma or Degree Course | ||||||||||||||||
| MQF LEVEL | 7 | ||||||||||||||||
| ECTS CREDITS | 5 | ||||||||||||||||
| DEPARTMENT | European Studies | ||||||||||||||||
| DESCRIPTION | Historically, and in geopolitical terms, the Mediterranean Region is very important for the European Union, and a better understanding of the region鈥檚 diplomacy is a sine qua non for a sound appraisal of the challenges, pitfalls and opportunities which the Union faces in the region. It is also important to understand how Mediterranean non-EU states perceive the Union as well as the influence of other powers in the region. The discussion, mainly from the standpoint of the EU as an important international actor, focuses on (a) the evolution of Mediterranean diplomacy and how it is conducted; (b) Paradiplomacy; (c) parliamentary diplomacy, and (d) cultural, energy, environmental and science diplomacy; (e) progress in the advancement of human rights and democracy in the region particularly after the 鈥楢rab Spring鈥�. The main policies pursued by the EU in the region provide a definite example of diplomacy in action, but the course is not limited to that alone. We also study the diplomatic efforts surrounding key events in the Mediterranean region in which the EU becomes directly or indirectly involved. These include (among others): (1) the 5+5 cooperation in the Western Mediterranean; (2) the ongoing conflicts such as the Arab-Israeli conflict, the Western Sahara, Syria and Libya; (3) protecting the Mediterranean environment: from the 1976 Barcelona Convention to Climate change and safeguarding the future of fish stocks. Paradiplomacy looks at the international relations and cooperation of national regions and how this may be positively impacted by the EU鈥檚 macro-regional strategy; parliamentary diplomacy looks at the cooperation of national parliaments in the region. Cultural diplomacy focuses on the inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue that the EU has identified since 2017 as a main objective in its foreign policy approaches and which is so crucial to the region. Study-Unit Aims: The aim is to allow participants in the seminars to understand how states engage with one another in international relations, through what we commonly describe as diplomacy, how they have tried to overcome diplomatic stalemates in reaching agreement in a number of fields and how and when diplomatic efforts fail to achieve results. The discussion is centered on the EU as an international actor in the Mediterranean region. Learning Outcomes: 1. Knowledge & Understanding: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - understand the meaning of diplomacy; - how it is conducted, why states seek this method of engaging with one another; - how the lives of citizens have been affected; - when and why agreements stick and when and how agreements became a dead letter; - the weight of history and the art of diplomatic negotiations; - EU Diplomacy in the Mediterranean, its scope, failures and achievements. 2. Skills: By the end of the study-unit the student will be able to: - analyze the difficulties which states face in the practice of diplomacy; - the conditions which normally lead to agreements between states; - how states achieve consensus on international issues; - the advantage of diplomatic engagement in its various hues over other methods by which states try to influence each other's actions in the international arena with particular reference to the challenges which the EU faces in the Mediterranean region. Main Text/s and any supplementary readings: Main Texts: Understanding Diplomacy - Andrew F. Cooper, Jorge Heine, Ramesh Thakur (eds.) (2013) The Oxford Handbook of Modern Diplomacy (Oxford Handbooks in Politics & International Relations). - Joseph M. Siracusa (2010) "Diplomacy: A Very Short Introduction" (Very Short Introductions), Oxford University Press. - Manuel Duran (2015), "Mediterranean Paradiplomacies: The Dynamics of Diplomatic Reterritorialization", BRILL Nijhoff. - Sotiris Varouxakis (2013). The Diplomacy of the Mediterranean. EPLO. Athens, Greece. - Andrea Cofelice (2019). Parliamentary Institutions in Regional and International Governance: Functions and Powers鈥�. Routledge. - Stelios Stavridis, and Davor Jan膷i膰, (eds.) (2017) 鈥淧arliamentary Diplomacy in European and Global Governance鈥�, BRILL. The Mediterranean - David Abulafia (2012). The Great Sea: A Human History of the Mediterranean. Penguin Books. - Tobias Schumacher, Andreas Marchetti and Thomas Demmelhuber (eds.) (2018). The Routledge Handbook on the European Neighbourhood Policy. Routledge. - Richard Gillespie and Fr茅d茅ric Volpi (2019). Routledge Handbook of Mediterranean Politics. Routledge. Supplementary Readings: - Tavares Rodrigo (2016). Paradiplomacy: Cities and states as Global Players. Oxford University Press. Hans G眉nter Brauch et al. (eds.) (2003), "Security and Environment in the Mediterranean: conceptualising security and Environmental Conflicts", Springer. - Ruffini, Pierre-Bruno (2017), "Science and Diplomacy: A New Dimension of International Relations", Springer. - Elena Calandri, Daniele Caviglia, Antonio Varsori (2016), "D茅tente in Cold War Europe: Politics and Diplomacy in the Mediterranean and the Middle East", I.B.Tauris. - Costas M. Constantinou, Pauline Kerr, Paul Sharp (2016) "The SAGE Handbook of Diplomacy", SAGE. - G. R. Berridge (2015) "Diplomacy: Theory and Practice", Palgrave. - Ralph Feltham (2004), "Diplomatic Handbook" Eighth or later edition Martinus Nijhoff Publishers. - Lawrence E. Susskind, Saleem H. Ali, and Foreword by Zakri Abdul Hamid "Environmental Diplomacy Negotiating More Effective Global Agreements", Oxford University Press, second edition or later. - Melissen, J. (Ed.) (2005) "The New Public Diplomacy Soft Power in International Relations", Palgrave. - Editors: Lesser, Pamela (2009), 鈥淕reening the Mediterranean: Europe's Environmental Policy toward Mediterranean Neighbors.鈥� Mediterranean Quarterly, Vol. 20, No. 2, 26-39. - Niklas Bremberg (2015). Diplomacy and Security Community-Building: EU Crisis Management in the Western Mediterranean. Routledge. - Tagliapietra Simone (2017). Energy Relations in the Euro-Mediterranean: A Political Economy Perspective. Palgrave. - Shah Timothy Samuel, Stepan Alfred and Toft Monica Duffy (eds.) (2012). Rethinking Religion and World Affairs. Oxford University Press. Additional important texts particularly those which appear during the course may be recommended to students. |
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| STUDY-UNIT TYPE | Seminar | ||||||||||||||||
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| LECTURER/S | Roderick Pace |
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The University makes every effort to ensure that the published Courses Plans, Programmes of Study and Study-Unit information are complete and up-to-date at the time of publication. The University reserves the right to make changes in case errors are detected after publication.
The availability of optional units may be subject to timetabling constraints. Units not attracting a sufficient number of registrations may be withdrawn without notice. It should be noted that all the information in the description above applies to study-units available during the academic year 2025/6. It may be subject to change in subsequent years. |
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