What is it about?
This paper approaches symbolic insult in diplomacy as the use of symbolic means by states to oppress the opponent’s sense of Self, to hurt its self-esteem and social status in order to achieve their foreign policy objectives, or as a reaction to a threat from the Other. I distinguish three forms of symbolic insult used in diplomacy: by misrecognition (“diplomatic bypassing”), direct confrontation (“diplomatic punch”) and concealed verbal or nonverbal actions (“diplomatic slap”). The paper focuses on the third, indirect form, or “diplomatic slap” which employs obscure symbolic insults as a means of tacit manipulation for influencing the opponent, or as an instrument of restoring social status.
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Why is it important?
Despite the fact that symbolic insults are part of diplomatic manipulative practices, this phenomenon was not studied. But such a study is important because it can help make diplomacy more effective and less manipulative.
Perspectives
Any insult, including a symbolic one, is negative: it hurts. Diplomatic insult appears as part of international politics and the existing disparity of political interests of different actors, or as a way of strategic interaction between conflicting parties. But paradoxically, sometimes symbolic insult may prevent diplomatic actors from committing a real war, i.e. to remain in the area of symbolic gamesmanship and not to step into the path of physical destruction of each other. However, it is important to work on the development of insult-free diplomacy – diplomacy that has a good-will and is truly about cooperation and problem-solving. In order to achieve that, we need to know the conditions for the emergence of diplomatic insults.
Dr Alisher Faizullaev
Webster University
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Symbolic Insult in Diplomacy, Brill Research Perspectives in Diplomacy and Foreign Policy, January 2017, Brill,
DOI: 10.1163/24056006-12340008.
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