Diplomatic Encounters -- Or, So You Want To Be a Diplomat

This seminar offers an introduction to the history, theory, and practice of international diplomacy, drawing on the instructor's experience as former ambassador and current scholar. We will survey the classics and explore some of the more recent diplomatic memoirs, focusing on case studies such as the end of the Cold War, the Iraq fiasco, the U.S. opening to Cuba, the Iran nuclear deal, and the challenges of dealing with Russia and China today. We will then descend from high politics down to ground level, focusing on practical aspects of diplomacy on which students can draw if and as they aspire to careers in international relations.