Discussion with Thomas Nowotny

"Are Foreign Services Obsolete? A European View"

Summary:
Traditional diplomacy is based on the notion of competing nation states, each attempting to maximize its autonomy and independence. This notion is at odds with today’s world in which even mighty states are enmeshed in a web of interdependence. Much of the world’s economy, information, industry, and culture have become global. Given these massive changes, argues Nowotny, much of traditional diplomacy has become redundant and sometimes counterproductive.

Notwithstanding worldwide interdependence, states still anchor this complex global system. In a more timely version of their craft, diplomats retain an important function in safeguarding and shaping that worldwide interdependence. They are trained to transform differences into consensus and to navigate zones of conflict. But to do so effectively, and meet today’s challenges, they will have to adjust their ways and institutions.

Nowotny bases his arguments on his unique experiences in internal politics and in bilateral and multilateral diplomacy, as well as on his theoretical reflections as an academic. His work aims to merge lessons from these distinct spheres into one comprehensive whole, intertwining practice and theory. To affect outcomes one, thus, has to deal with practice and theory at the same time. This is what Nowotny aims to achieve, and he succeeds admirably.

About the author:
Thomas Nowotny teaches political science at the University of Vienna in Austria. He has been an Austrian diplomat; private secretary to Austrian Chancellor Bruno Kreisky, senior political counselor to the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, and consultant to the OECD (Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development). He is author of numerous articles and of several books, including most recently, Strawberries in Winter: On Global Trends and Global Governance.

http://www.transactionpub.com/title/Diplomacy-and-Global-Governance-978-1-4128-1844-5.html

For questions, please contact Katie at kss58@georgetown.edu