Both diplomacy and international relations are European constructs, products of the specific contingencies of European history. They dominate global governance not because they are universal concepts, but because of the...
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Pylos to Pyongyang: Contemporary Diplomacy from a Historical Perspective
Sep 26, 2017
CPD Faculty Fellow Vivian Walker recently published an article in Small Wars Journal that looks at the conflict between ancient Athens and Sparta for lessons about current diplomatic engagement.
Her article, "From Pylos to Pyongyang: What Thucydides Can Teach Us about Contemporary Diplomacy," notes the importance of understanding the motivations behind North Korea's behavior as well as the influence of public perception on diplomacy's success.
According to Walker, North Korea's nuclear weapons program is a similar bargaining chip to Spartan hostages during the Peloponnesian War, and "[t]he North Koreans, like the Athenians, have the power to create major instability."
To read more about how analysis of the Peloponnesian War can guide interpretations of today's foreign policy, check out the full piece online.
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