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Journal Article 1: Böhmelt, T. (2010). The effectiveness of tracks of diplomacy strategies in third-party interventions. Journal of Peace Research, 47(2), 167-178. doi:10.1177/0022343309356488

Summary: The article tests the effectiveness of official track one diplomacy with unofficial actors as well as combined efforts. It finds that track one diplomacy is more effective than track two diplomacy, while a combined effort is the most effective.

Questions to Consider

1. While the author finds support for the use of track one diplomacy, he notes in the conclusion that there may be circumstances where different tracks are more effective. What might those situations be?

2. What distinguishes track 1.5 from track one and track two diplomacy?

 

Journal Article 2: Cheneval, F., & Nicolaidis, K. (2017). The social construction of democracy in the European Union. European Journal of Political Theory, 16(2), 235-260. doi:10.1177/1474885116654696

Summary: This article is primarily concerned with the nature of the European Union with specific concern about its viability as a political institution and the nature of its democratic processes. It introduces the concept of democracy, the idea of a political institution made up of other political and social units.

Questions to Consider

1. The central question of the article is whether or not the European Union can be an effective political form. Based on your reading of this article, do you believe that the EU is a viable form moving forward?

2. How does the concept of democracy differ from democracy?

3. Based on the authors conceptions, does a sense of European citizenship preclude a national identity? What does this argument suggest about the changing nature of participants in the international system?

 

Journal Article 3: Collard-Wexler, S. (2006). Integration under anarchy: Neorealism and the European Union. European Journal of International Relations, 12(3), 397-432. doi:10.1177/1354066106067349

Summary: This article uses the development of the European Union as a lens to critique the neorealist research paradigm. In that regard, it is not an explanation for the existence of the EU as much as an exploration of how some theories may not account for all attributes of the international system.

Questions to Consider

1. According to the author, how does the EU present a challenge to neorealist logic?

2. How have neorealists responded to such critiques? Do you find the responses persuasive?

3. When using IR theory, is it possible that some theories work well in some domains (including regions), while others prove to be less useful? If realism does not work in Europe, might it work in other regions?

 

Journal Article 4: Piiparinen, T. (2016). Intervening to strengthen sovereignty: The lessons of the UN intervention brigade for global peacekeeping. International Relations, 30(2), 154-175. doi:10.1177/0047117815595110

Summary: In many ways, this article would work well in both Chapters 6 and 7. It explores a specific type of program the UN has implemented in the Democratic Republic of the Congo to help improve the ability of the Congolese government to function.

Questions to Consider

1. The UN has evolved well beyond its original foundations. How do programs like the UN Intervention Brigade represent this evolution?

2. In this case, the author argues that the UN authorization for the robust use of force in defense of the Congolese government is a major step forward for UN operations. Do you believe this could be a model for future operations, or is it a context-dependent action?

 

Journal Article 5: Wiseman, G. (2015). Diplomatic practices at the United Nations. Cooperation and Conflict, 50(3), 316-333. doi:10.1177/0010836715574916

Summary: Wiseman analyses diplomatic practice at the UN with special attention to how informal and formal processes have interacted as the UN has evolved as well as how informal diplomatic practice has led to UN reform in practice, if not in word.

Questions to Consider

1. In contrast to most of the readings in this class thus far, this article makes a concrete argument for the role of individuals in the shaping of institutions and politics. What challenges does a focus on diplomats present to an empirical understanding of the UN as an institution?

2. The author notes changes that have been made to several processes at the UN, with special attention to the selection of the Secretary General. These changes, while consistent with the Charter, have been done in ways the Charter did not envision. Do you believe these changes are more the result of diplomatic practice, or the assertion of power by different groups within the UN?

3. How does a study of diplomatic practice differ from a focus on the formal institutional framework of the UN?