The European Union’s foreign affairs and security policies enable the European Union to speak and act as one in world affairs. The EU Global Strategy was launched in 2016 the EU established the European Defense Fund and in 2017; both of these initiatives have sought to strengthen the EU’s presence as a global player as well as to reinforce its security and defense capabilities against great challenges such as international terrorism, hybrid wars, climate change, and much more. In 2011, the European External Action Service (EEAS), the EU’s diplomatic service, was created. The overriding goal was to make the EU foreign policy more cohesive and effective. Currently, the EU has 139 diplomatic delegations (in the form of embassies) which play a vital role in the EU’s representation, and whose main purpose is to increase the influence of the EU in the world.

The Specialization Course “EU Foreign Affairs and Diplomacy” is organized by the Chair of International Relations and Diplomacy at the European Institute of International Studies.

This Specialization Course: “Democracy & Leadership: Inclusive and Sustainable Democracy” stems from the collaboration between the European Institute of International Studies (EIIS) and the International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance (International IDEA) in the framework of a Mechanism of Joint Action “Towards Sustainable, Equal & Inclusive Democratic Societies”. As an academic program, it is based on a clear commitment to freedom and human rights, and as its name suggests, seeks to promote sustainable, equal and inclusive democratic systems, with the conviction that by promoting and implementing such systems healthier and stronger democratic societies are created.

The course has been developed by the Chair of International Relations and Diplomacy at the European Institute of International Studies based largely on publications produced by International IDEA.

The digital networks that constitute cyberspace have radically changed the environment in which diplomats and diplomacy operate. Nation states remain the key actors, but they have been joined by a broad range of other state and non-state actors. Digital tools have increased the reach of diplomats and their ability to promote broader diplomatic agendas, but they have also enhanced the capacity of non-state actors to participate in international debates. Foreign ministries and diplomats were slow to adopt digital technologies, and they remain overly focused on social media, largely ignoring the potential of more innovative online platforms and gamification processes. At the same time, cyberspace has thrown up a series of problems which range from internet governance and data protection to cyber conflict, espionage and crime. Cyberspace risks becoming a Hobbesian anarchy in which state and non-state actors pursue hybrid warfare strategies. The techniques and approaches of diplomats are as necessary in cyberspace as they in physical space, and they must craft some form of international law or “rules of the game” to constrain the behavior of both state and non-state actors. At the same time, the combination of AI, machine-learning and digital networks promises to present a new series of challenges and threats.

This course will explore both the use of digital tools to promote broader diplomatic agendas and the application of diplomacy to the problems arising in cyberspace. It will explore the implications of digital technologies with relation to foreign ministries in terms of practice, structure and culture. It will explain the continued relevance of diplomacy and how it can effectively engage with cyberspace, including the development of multi-stakeholder diplomacy for dealing with the broad range of non-state actors. Finally, it will engage with the implications of new technologies for diplomacy and diplomats, including the potential roles of AI and machine learning in diplomacy itself.

The Specialization Course “Diplomacy in Cyberspace” is organized by the Chair for Diplomacy and Cyberspace at European Institute of International Studies.

We live in a globalized society in which we are able to interact with people from every corner of the world. Institutions and business corporations in different countries collaborate with each other, establishing agreements in an international context, with interlocutors from distant cultures who act according to rules, religions, traditions and customs which can be very different from ours. In those cases, it happens often that we come across difficulties in discerning a common protocol regarding the small details of those relationships. How should we greet one another? How should we organize a meeting? Where should people be seated? How do hierarchies work? Is the issue of religion important at a given event?

The Specialization Course “International and Official Protocol” is organized by the Chair of International Relations and Diplomacy at the European Institute of International Studies.