You
should read the following carefully and make notes :
mercoledì 14 settembre 2016
Some essay titles to think about
1)
What are the main characteristics of a failed (or ‘failing’)
state and how should the international community respond to this
challenge? Illustrate your ideas with examples.
2)
Italy
is involved in various foreign policy initiatives as a member of
wider institutions (the EU, NATO, the UN etc.) and as a sovereign
state with its own interests. Describe some of them. You may also
want to comment on their size, length, cost and effectiveness.
3)
States
are no longer the only actors on the international stage. How does
this affect international relations? Give examples.
4)
Outline
the current economic crisis, its nature, its short-term effects, the
response of the global community, and the possible long-term
consequences for international relations.
5)
Developing
countries and sustainability. Discuss some of the main factors
involved.
6)
What
are the main factors that will influence the evolution of relations
between China and the international community? How is China’s role
within the international order changing?
7)
Diplomacy
– What are the main factors involved in the decision by a state or
political movement to take part in, or not to take part in,
negotiations with another state or non-state actor which it considers
in some sense ‘the enemy’? Illustrate your point of view with
examples from modern history or the contemporary world.
8)
To
what extent is ‘security’ now the key word in international
relations?
9)
How
has the Arab Spring and Winter affected international relations?
10)
What are the main challenges facing Latin America?
11)
Is the leadership of the US and the West within the international
order coming to an end?
12)
Has
the EU lost its way? What are the main challenges it faces today?
13)
How should the international community respond to the dangers posed
by nuclear technology?
14)
The International Criminal Court – its structure, role and
effectiveness to date.
15)
What are the main factors to be weighed when the international
community is considering military intervention in response to a
humanitarian crisis?
16)
What
are the main challenges facing Africa?
17)
What
are the main characteristics, benefits and drawbacks of
globalization?
18)
Outline
the main characteristics of Italian foreign policy since the end of
the Second World War.
19)
To
what extent have states now lost, by choice or by circumstance, much
of their sovereignty?
20)
Climate change and renewable energy. Discuss.
21)
What
are the main factors that will influence the evolution of relations
between the EU and the Russian Federation?
22)
What
are some of the issues involved in the exploration and development of
space by the international community?
23)
Safe-guarding
human rights during the current economic crisis. Discuss.
24)
How
should the UN be reformed? Does the structure of the UN make it in
some sense unreformable?
25)
The
Arab world needs to change and modernize in order to meet the
challenges of the 21st
century. Discuss.
26)
How
is the role of NATO changing? What challenges does the organization
face?
27)
What
is the role of information technology and the new media in
international relations?
28)
What
is the role of culture in international relations?
29)
What kind of people make good diplomats? What kind of work do they
do? What kind of responsibilities do they have?
30)
What
are the realities regarding the development and use of alternative
renewable energies?
31)
How
do demographic changes (population growth or decline) affect
international relations?
32)
How
is climate change and the need to deal with it affecting
international relations?
33)
To
what extent is leadership an important factor in international
relations? Illustrate your answer with examples from contemporary
history and current affairs?
34)
What can the international community do to protect biodiversity? Why
is this question important?
35)
State
sovereignty and the responsibility to protect. Discuss both the legal
and practical issues involved. Give examples.
36)
What
is the role of the BRICS in international relations?
37)
What
are the main questions to be dealt with in order to achieve a lasting
settlement between Israel and the Palestinians?
38)
Migration
- Describe the nature, scale, benefits and drawbacks of this
phenomenon with special reference to the EU.
39)
What
progress was made in achieving the UN Millennium Development Goals
and what challenges remain? Comment on the 2030
Agenda for Sustainable Development.
40)
How
is Italy's diplomatic corps involved in the safe-guarding of Italy's
cultural heritage?
41)
What
role do sports and major cultural events play in diplomacy?
42)
What should
the EU do to promote awareness of a European identity among EU
citizens?
43)
China and its neighbors. Discuss.
44)
To what extent are international relations influenced by the
competition for scarce resources?
45)
In the contemporary world has the space for diplomacy been reduced?
46)
Is
‘cooperation’ the key word in today’s world?
47)
Are Western values universal or are we witnessing a genuine ‘clash
of cultures’ in international relations?
48)
How should the international community respond to the threat of
piracy?
49)
Italy and the Balkans. Discuss.
50)
Can the German economic model really be a model for other EU
countries?
51)
The
Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) – What is it?
What are the proposed benefits and possible drawbacks? You may want
to discuss it in relation to the Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP).
52)
What
are some of the problems that the Netherlands is having to deal with
during its presidency of the Council of the European Union from
January to June 2016? What was the Dutch government’s program for
the Presidency? (or
Slovakia
(Jul–Dec 2016) and Malta
(Jan–Jun 2017).
53)
What
are the dangers relating to cyber threats and cyber warfare for
security, international relations and the economy.
54)
The
European External Action Service. What does it do? Is it effective?
55)
Italy
and the Mediterranean. Discuss.
56)
The
economic crisis, immigration and the rise of Euroscepticism. Discuss.
57)
How do ideas about identity affect international relations?
58)
Although
there are still situations of crisis and institutional fragility in
many parts of Africa, several countries there seem to be registering
more positive economic trends. Comment on this and on the role of the
Africa-EU Partnership in this context, and outline some of the
challenges and opportunities.
59)
You
have been asked to accompany a small group of African diplomats on a
three day visit to Expo Milano 2015 this May. Write a short speech of
welcome and introduction, explain the goals of the Expo and describe
some of the things that the group will be able to do and see there.
60)
You
have been asked to meet a group of Chinese businessmen on a short
visit to Italy and to tell them something about Destinazione Italia.
Write a short speech of welcome and introduction to explain the goals
of the plan and some of the initiatives that may be relevant to them.
61)
How
might the results of the next US Presidential election affect
international relations?
62)
How
might a Brexit affect the European Union and the UK itself?
63)
How
effective are economic sanctions in international relations? Discuss
in relation to real cases where they have been or are being used.
64)
Legacy
– What are the achievements and failures of the Obama
administration so far? Give particular attention to international
affairs.
65)
How should the international community, and Italy in particular,
respond to the challenges relating to the Arctic area?
66)
Outline some of the issues concerning ‘what
the City
Renaissance
means in the Digital
Age’
to be explored at the 2016
Major Cities of Europe Conference
in
Florence
from
May 30th to June 1st
2016.
67)
What are some of the main questions to be addressed at the next NATO
summit that will take place on 8-9 July, 2016 in Warsaw, Poland?
68)
The economic crisis, immigration and the rise of Euroscepticism.
Discuss.
69)
Italy and the Arab world. Outline some of the challenges Italy faces
and how it is dealing with these questions.
70)
Fukushima five years later –what lessons are there for Japan and
the international community and what are the realities?
71)
What is the role of culture in generating economic activity and as a
tool for exercising ‘soft power’? Discuss in relation to Italy
and other countries.
72)
What are the terms of the March 2016 migrant deal between the EU and
Turkey? Is it a good deal for the EU and Italy in particular? What
questions does it raise?
73)
Italy and Libya – discuss.
74)
Outline the situation regarding jihadist terrorism in Africa today.
What are the effects? What is being done in response?
75)
Fighting corruption – describe the problem and current attempts to
deal with it.
76)
What were some of the goals of the March
2016 Rome Model United Nations?
77)
What are some of the issues involved in the exploration and
development of space by the international community? You may want to
refer to the January 2016 8th
Annual Conference on European Space Policy.
78)
The EU and further enlargement – is this the right moment?
79)
Goals and challenges for the new UN Secretary General.
How to write an essay on international relations – some possible approaches
A lot of what
follows is only partly relevant since the writers are often referring to
assignments and long essays (dissertations) rather than exam essays. However,
some of the ideas about planning, structuring and finally writing your essay
may be useful. Several suggest that you may need to leave writing your
introduction until you have already developed your main ideas and conclusion.
However, these are only guidelines. Try reading some essays on international
relations and examining how the best ones are structured.
Diplomacy and Diplomatic Language
Some diplomatic language for maintaining a neutral style
The
notes on various topics that you will find on this website are based
on my reading and summarizing of points made by a series of authors
and sources. They are not my personal opinion unless a personal
opinion is an attempt to summarize the points made by various
sources. They are simply intended as background to help you form your
own ideas as you do your own reading and research. However,
they are only in note form
and you need to qualify these kinds of comments and statements with
the following kind of introductory phraseology in order to maintain a
neutral tone and diplomatic style:
Some experts argue that….. / many experts suggest that …. /it is often argued that…. /it has been suggested that…../some political commentators argue that…. / many political commentators claim that…. / it is sometimes claimed that.… /some academics make the case that …… /it is often pointed out that..../ most experts agree that….. / most commentators seem to agree that… /there seems to be general agreement that…. / there seems little doubt that… / it is unclear whether… /generally speaking it seems that…. / one could argue that…./ on the whole…../ apparently…. /other experts have raised questions regarding…/ in social terms…/ in economic terms…/ in political terms… / theoretically… /in theory… / in practice…. / it has been alleged that…../
You might want to use this kind of language when introducing a new opinion or interpretation of events, but you should not exaggerate. Don't put these expressions in front of every sentence, and don't use them inappropriately, that is to say, in front of factual information. As you read you should collect other common expressions like those above.
You can also use structures based on inversion like this:
What is needed is a new strategy…
What is needed is for the government to work out a new strategy…What the government needs to do is…
e sopratutto, in quello che scrivi al concorso, cerca di essere:
informato, aggiornato e equilibrato.
Some experts argue that….. / many experts suggest that …. /it is often argued that…. /it has been suggested that…../some political commentators argue that…. / many political commentators claim that…. / it is sometimes claimed that.… /some academics make the case that …… /it is often pointed out that..../ most experts agree that….. / most commentators seem to agree that… /there seems to be general agreement that…. / there seems little doubt that… / it is unclear whether… /generally speaking it seems that…. / one could argue that…./ on the whole…../ apparently…. /other experts have raised questions regarding…/ in social terms…/ in economic terms…/ in political terms… / theoretically… /in theory… / in practice…. / it has been alleged that…../
You might want to use this kind of language when introducing a new opinion or interpretation of events, but you should not exaggerate. Don't put these expressions in front of every sentence, and don't use them inappropriately, that is to say, in front of factual information. As you read you should collect other common expressions like those above.
You can also use structures based on inversion like this:
What is needed is a new strategy…
What is needed is for the government to work out a new strategy…What the government needs to do is…
e sopratutto, in quello che scrivi al concorso, cerca di essere:
informato, aggiornato e equilibrato.
Some language for essay writing
Useful
expressions for writing an essay:
terminology:
http://himalayancrossings.com/pdf/course/resource/penguin_dictionary.pdf
(good but takes a moment to download)
and maybe:
structuring
your essay:
Essays on
Diplomacy:
Some ideas about diplomacy and what makes a good diplomat
"Above all, not too much zeal!"
Talleyrand
http://www.ediplomat.com/nd/essays/delaboulaye.htm
http://www.ediplomat.com/nd/functions.htm
http://www.ediplomat.com/nd/essays/maclehose.htm
http://www.ibde.org/component/content/article/83-what-a-good-commercial-diplomat-has-to-know-and-be-capable-of.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jul/14/ambassadors-job-diplomat-training
http://www.diplomacy.edu/resources/general/knowledge-management-and-diplomatic-training-new-approaches-training-institutions
http://books.google.it/books?id=SXFePmd2uEIC&pg=PA120&lpg=PA120&dq=qualities+diplomat&source=bl&ots=SLd2eiwMdJ&sig=2Y6qHdQ5Z8tLTjVZmTq3L_2M6Lw&hl=it&sa=X&ei=_idoT_D7M_Da4QSX8ZmGCQ&ved=0CEMQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=qualities%20diplomat&f=false
http://www.oocities.org/metisfederation/dqs.html
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200601/12/eng20060112_234952.html
http://www.ediplomat.com/nd/essays/kitahara.htm
http://www.ediplomat.com/nd/essays/gruber.htm
http://www.seeiia.freeservers.com/Diplomacy%20And%20International%20Relations.htm
http://www.grassrootdiplomat.org/#/blog/4553593428/What-makes-a-good-diplomat/12677
http://www.jhubc.it/ecpr-porto/virtualpaperroom/047.pdf
very serious:
http://epublications.bond.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1057&context=theses&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.it%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Dcharacteristics%2520of%2520a%2520diplomat%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D30%26ved%3D0CHgQFjAJOBQ%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fepublications.bond.edu.au%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D1057%2526context%253Dtheses%26ei%3DzGxpT6LGAdP54QSTu9zECQ%26usg%3DAFQjCNHE_XlNvPoOtnFhe417rQkFoZUB-g#search=%22characteristics%20diplomat%22
Talleyrand
http://www.ediplomat.com/nd/essays/delaboulaye.htm
http://www.ediplomat.com/nd/functions.htm
http://www.ediplomat.com/nd/essays/maclehose.htm
http://www.ibde.org/component/content/article/83-what-a-good-commercial-diplomat-has-to-know-and-be-capable-of.html
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2010/jul/14/ambassadors-job-diplomat-training
http://www.diplomacy.edu/resources/general/knowledge-management-and-diplomatic-training-new-approaches-training-institutions
http://books.google.it/books?id=SXFePmd2uEIC&pg=PA120&lpg=PA120&dq=qualities+diplomat&source=bl&ots=SLd2eiwMdJ&sig=2Y6qHdQ5Z8tLTjVZmTq3L_2M6Lw&hl=it&sa=X&ei=_idoT_D7M_Da4QSX8ZmGCQ&ved=0CEMQ6AEwBDgK#v=onepage&q=qualities%20diplomat&f=false
http://www.oocities.org/metisfederation/dqs.html
http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/200601/12/eng20060112_234952.html
http://www.ediplomat.com/nd/essays/kitahara.htm
http://www.ediplomat.com/nd/essays/gruber.htm
http://www.seeiia.freeservers.com/Diplomacy%20And%20International%20Relations.htm
http://www.grassrootdiplomat.org/#/blog/4553593428/What-makes-a-good-diplomat/12677
http://www.jhubc.it/ecpr-porto/virtualpaperroom/047.pdf
very serious:
http://epublications.bond.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1057&context=theses&sei-redir=1&referer=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.it%2Furl%3Fsa%3Dt%26rct%3Dj%26q%3Dcharacteristics%2520of%2520a%2520diplomat%26source%3Dweb%26cd%3D30%26ved%3D0CHgQFjAJOBQ%26url%3Dhttp%253A%252F%252Fepublications.bond.edu.au%252Fcgi%252Fviewcontent.cgi%253Farticle%253D1057%2526context%253Dtheses%26ei%3DzGxpT6LGAdP54QSTu9zECQ%26usg%3DAFQjCNHE_XlNvPoOtnFhe417rQkFoZUB-g#search=%22characteristics%20diplomat%22
The European Union website
For
general information go to:
http://europa.eu/
Then click on the language box, e.g. 'italiano' to go to the opening page. Then choose a topic to read about and click on it. You can click on the language box at the top on the right to change the language (if the text has been translated). So now you can try to translate a paragraph from Italian to English and check it. Make notes on any vocabulary, spelling or grammar mistakes that you make. The more you do, the better.
For specific EU documents go to:
http://europa.eu/publications/
Then choose the language, e.g. 'italiano'. Now choose a subject - e.g. 'immigrazione' and type it into 'ricerca nel sito' and click on the arrow. Then choose a document from the list,noting down its title and reference number before clicking on it (the title may sometimes be in English though the document will open in Italian.) For many documents (those published on paper) the translation box will still appear in the top right corner, so you can translate the document and check your translation immediately.For other documents there will be no translation box and you will have to return to the opening page of
http://europa.eu/
Then click on the language box, e.g. 'italiano' to go to the opening page. Then choose a topic to read about and click on it. You can click on the language box at the top on the right to change the language (if the text has been translated). So now you can try to translate a paragraph from Italian to English and check it. Make notes on any vocabulary, spelling or grammar mistakes that you make. The more you do, the better.
For specific EU documents go to:
http://europa.eu/publications/
Then choose the language, e.g. 'italiano'. Now choose a subject - e.g. 'immigrazione' and type it into 'ricerca nel sito' and click on the arrow. Then choose a document from the list,noting down its title and reference number before clicking on it (the title may sometimes be in English though the document will open in Italian.) For many documents (those published on paper) the translation box will still appear in the top right corner, so you can translate the document and check your translation immediately.For other documents there will be no translation box and you will have to return to the opening page of
and
choose 'English', type in the key word, e.g. 'immigration', or the
exact title, and find
the same
document in English. So it may be easier to print both versions
before you start translating rather than try to jump backwards and
forwards from one to the other.
If
you want to do lots of translation go to ‘L’UE
nel 2015, Relazione Generale’
(97 pages) in Italian on:
and
then click on pdf and go to:
and
then download it by clicking on DOWNLOAD.
Then
go to the text in English (The EU in 2015, General Report) on
and
then click on pdf and go to:
and
then download it by clicking on DOWNLOAD.
Start
from the Italian version, translate and then go to the English
version to check. Or if you prefer, simply read the English version
and take notes on useful language.
You
can also arrive from:
or
and
the 2014 general Report in English or Italian on this page:
http://bookshop.europa.eu/en/general-report-on-the-activities-of-the-european-union-2014-pbNAAD15001/
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