Diplomacy Books

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Book SynopsisPrestige and international visibility beyond the confines of the academic world are key reasons for universities to get involved in international relations. Many of the common practices we know today, like honorary degrees, exchange programs or funding special study centres first emerged around the turn to the 20th century, especially in transatlantic relations. While the German and the French governments were vying for political sympathies in the US, newly reformed American research universities were hoping for academic recognition in Europe and social acceptance at home. Thus developed a distinct university-diplomacy, pursued in particular by university presidents, professors and educators as the foreign service was only beginning to professionalize. Even if the First World War deeply affected these networks, especially the links to Germany, they formed the foundation of the structures and strategies that afforded US-universities a crucial role in the cultural diplomacy of the so-called American century.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisAlthough the rapid spread worldwide of the coronavirus in 2020 focused minds everywhere on the dangers of a global pandemic, other dangers facing the world have not diminished. Failure to resolve issues relating to the divided Korean peninsula is one of these. Great concern has long been expressed in several quarters about the behavior and ambitions of the reclusive North Korean regime. Often it is presented in Western media as an especially brutal dictatorship whose aggressive expansionist dreams pose a threat to world peace. Others question this one-dimensional picture and argue that a process of selective demonization is at work. In this thoughtful volume, 18 engaged scholars from Asia, the United States and Europe with first-hand knowledge about and experiences in Korea, North and South, share their insights and suggestions with concerned readers worldwide. They strive to get beyond the everyday rhetoric clouding the situation and address the demonization issue, exploring its different aspects from Western and Eastern perspectives. Their approach is to treat the Korean conflict as a multidimensional problem, with historical roots, cross-cultural and political-ideological perspectives, and not least with consequences far beyond the region where it takes place. North Korea is not the only country in the cross-hairs of heavyweight media organizations. The intensifying great power struggle between China and the United States is being played out on television, online and in the print media of both countries and beyond. The volume thus concludes by drawing into its consideration this developing conflict in which the two Koreas play a minor, almost bystander role. As such, as well as providing engaged readers with a more nuanced treatment of the issues, this collection offers important insights to journalists, officials and decision-makers around the world.

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Book SynopsisAlthough the rapid spread worldwide of the coronavirus in 2020 focused minds everywhere on the dangers of a global pandemic, other dangers facing the world have not diminished. Failure to resolve issues relating to the divided Korean peninsula is one of these. Great concern has long been expressed in several quarters about the behavior and ambitions of the reclusive North Korean regime. Often it is presented in Western media as an especially brutal dictatorship whose aggressive expansionist dreams pose a threat to world peace. Others question this one-dimensional picture and argue that a process of selective demonization is at work. In this thoughtful volume, 18 engaged scholars from Asia, the United States and Europe with first-hand knowledge about and experiences in Korea, North and South, share their insights and suggestions with concerned readers worldwide. They strive to get beyond the everyday rhetoric clouding the situation and address the demonization issue, exploring its different aspects from Western and Eastern perspectives. Their approach is to treat the Korean conflict as a multidimensional problem, with historical roots, cross-cultural and political-ideological perspectives, and not least with consequences far beyond the region where it takes place. North Korea is not the only country in the cross-hairs of heavyweight media organizations. The intensifying great power struggle between China and the United States is being played out on television, online and in the print media of both countries and beyond. The volume thus concludes by drawing into its consideration this developing conflict in which the two Koreas play a minor, almost bystander role. As such, as well as providing engaged readers with a more nuanced treatment of the issues, this collection offers important insights to journalists, officials and decision-makers around the world.

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisDiplomatic relations between Cambodia and Britain at the height of the Cold War provide unique insights into the overall foreign policies of both nations. King Norodom Sihanouk's strategy of preserving the independence and integrity of Cambodia through a policy of neutrality grew ever more challenging as the Cold War heated up in Indochina and the conflict in Vietnam became a proxy war between the superpowers. Despite its alliance with the United States, Britain's diplomatic objectives in the region largely aligned with Cambodia's, and British criticism of US policy towards Cambodia was a problem in the alliance.British diplomatic records present a fascinating window into Cambodian decision-making, and the rationale behind Sihanouk's sometimes apparently irrational policies. The reports yield new insights into Sihanouk's efforts to sustain Cambodia's integrity vis-à-vis its more powerful neighbours. Equally, a fine-grained analysis of British-Cambodia relations reveals much about the dynamics of British foreign policy in the period. Britain's ultimate dependence on its powerful American ally limited its influence in the region. After 1967, indeed, it ceased to have a strategic role. Over the period, British frustrations grew, even as it remained consistent in its foreign policy objectives and approaches.

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