Diplomacy in the Age of Polarization

Christer Jönsson

《Taiwan Journal of Democracy》 18卷1期 (2022/07) Pp. 27-39

摘要

Two questions are addressed in this essay: (1) Is polarization understood differently in international relations, as compared to domestic politics? (2) How does domestic polarization affect diplomacy and the conduct of international relations? In the international context, polarization traditionally has been understood primarily in terms of power balances rather than irreconcilable conflict, as in the domestic context. A new kind of bipolarity, which combines aspects of power with irreconcilable identities and objectives, seems to be emerging: democratic versus autocratic states. Domestic polarization has several spillover effects on diplomacy in today's world. The inability to compromise at home becomes the modus operandi in the international arena. Domestic polarization stands in the way of effective cooperation on burning global issues, entails obvious risks that the venerable norm pacta sunt servanda will be violated, and undermines the sense of common domestic purpose that is usually perceived to strengthen diplomacy.

關鍵字

Domestic polarization ； international system ； new bipolarity

參考文獻

Fred Charles Iklé, How Nations Negotiate (New York: Praeger, 1964), 2.

Suzanne Keller, “Diplomacy and Communication,” Public Opinion Quarterly 20, no. 1 (Spring 1956):181.

Ross Stagner, Psychological Aspects of International Conflict (Belmont, CA: Wadsworth, 1967), 157.

William J. Burns, “Polarized Politics Has Infected American Diplomacy,” The Atlantic, June 6, 2020, /Polarized Politics Has Infected American Diplomacy - The Atlantic/

Robert D. Putnam, “Diplomacy and Domestic Politics: The Logic of Two-Level Games,” International Organization 42, no. 3 (Summer 1988): 428-460