Empathy in Diplomacy

Fatić Aleksandar (Research Professor, Institute of International Politics and Economics), fatic@diplomacy.bg.ac.rs
Korać Srđan (M.A., Research Associate, Institute of International Politics and Economics), srdjan@diplomacy.bg.ac.rs
Bulatović Aleksandra (M.A., Research Associate, Institute for Criminological and Sociological Research)

The authors argue that diplomacy as a higher-order cooperative activity is possibly only against the backdrop of assumptions about a prior disposition of those taking part in it to reach out to their counterparts not only rationally, but also emotionally. While the traditional, negotiations-based model of diplomacy continues to be verbally depicted as the generic model for diplomacy as a whole, it is essentially a negative stereotype that portrays diplomatic relations as compromise-seeking efforts between otherwise entrenched opposed positions. Modern diplomacy transcends this traditional model and can thus be called “integrative diplomacy”: it arises from broadening perceptions of common identities and similarities between the various communities, and thus rests much more on empathy, sympathy and solidarity than the negotiations-based model. It is thus not surprising that the integrative methodology of diplomacy makes it predominantly multilateral, as opposed to structurally fundamentally bilateral traditional negotiations.

Keywords: diplomacy, internationalisation, conflict-resolution, empathy