Foreign Ministries: Change And Adaptation (studies In Diplomacy And International Relations)

In seeking to test the conventional wisdom that foreign ministries are 'in decline', the contributors to this book examine the role and status of foreign ministries in twelve countries together with their place within the European Union. Valuable information on the response of the foreign policy machinery to change at both the domestic and international levels is provided as are important insights into the linkages between foreign policy and the mechanisms through which it is conducted. This book will be essential reading for those concerned with foreign policy-making in the post-Cold War era as well as those interested in the evolving machinery of government in its broader context. Foreword / Jacques Bilodeau -- Introduction: Foreign Ministries: Redefining The Gatekeeper Role / Brian Hocking -- 1. Diplomacy Towards The Twenty-first Century / Richard Langhorne And William Wallace -- 2. Australia: Change And Adaptation In The Department Of Foreign Affairs And Trade / Stuart Harris -- 3. Canada: Trying To Get It Right: The Foreign Ministry And Organizational Change / Andrew F. Cooper -- 4. France: The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs: 'something New, But Which Is The Legitimate Continuation Of Our Past. ...' (paul Claudel -- Le Soulier De Satin) / Paulette Enjalran And Philippe Husson -- 5. Israel: Succumbing To Foreign Ministry Declinism / Aharon Klieman -- 6. Japan: Towards A More Proactive Foreign Ministry / Kyoji Komachi -- 7. Malaysia: Change And Adaptation In Foreign Policy: Malaysia's Foreign Ministry / Zakaria Haji Ahmad -- 8. Mexico: Change And Adaptation In The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs / Andres Rozental -- 9. Norway: The Foreign Ministry: Bracketing Interdependence / Iver B. Neumann -- 10. Russia: The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs: Through Decline Towards Renewal / Ivan G. Tiouline -- 11. South Africa: The Ministry Of Foreign Affairs: From Isolation To Integration To Coherency / Marie Muller -- 12. United Kingdom: The Foreign And Commonwealth Office: 'flexible, Responsive And Proactive?' / David Allen -- 13. The United States: The State Department's Post-cold War Status / Maurice A. East And C. Edward Dillery -- 14. Foreign Ministries In National And European Context / David Spence. Edited By Brian Hocking ; Foreword By Jacques Bilodeau. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. Front Matter....Pages i-xiv Introduction Foreign Ministries: Redefining the Gatekeeper Role....Pages 1-15 Diplomacy towards the Twenty-first Century....Pages 16-22 Australia Change and Adaptation in the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade....Pages 23-39 Canada Trying to Get it Right: the Foreign Ministry and Organizational Change....Pages 40-58 France The Ministry of Foreign Affairs: ‘something new, but which is the legitimate continuation of our past ...’ (Paul Claudel — Le soulier de satin)....Pages 59-74 Israel Succumbing to Foreign Ministry Declinism....Pages 75-101 Japan Towards a More Proactive Foreign Ministry....Pages 102-116 Malaysia Change and Adaptation in Foreign Policy: Malaysia’s Foreign Ministry....Pages 117-132 Mexico Change and Adaptation in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs....Pages 133-151 Norway The Foreign Ministry: Bracketing Interdependence....Pages 152-169 Russia The Ministry of Foreign Affairs: Through Decline towards Renewal....Pages 170-187 South Africa The Ministry of Foreign Affairs: From Isolation to Integration to Coherency....Pages 188-206 United Kingdom The Foreign and Commonwealth Office: ‘Flexible, responsive and proactive’?....Pages 207-225 The United States The State Department’s Post-Cold War Status....Pages 226-246 Foreign Ministries in National and European Context....Pages 247-268 Back Matter....Pages 269-281 "During the years before the Russian Revolution, diplomats across Europe were widely condemned for lacking the skills needed to cope in the threatening international environment. They were also frequently criticized for being out of touch with public opinion and too ready to clothe their activities in a veil of secrecy. This book suggests that many of these charges were unfair. Important changes took place in the organization of the British Foreign Office in the early years of the twentieth century. Administrative reform even took place in the Russian Foreign Ministry, despite the reputation of the tsarist bureaucracy for incompetence and venality. In both Britain and Russia, however, the role of diplomats and foreign ministry officials was governed above all by changes in the domestic political environment. While they played an important part in determining the foreign policy of their respective countries, their influence was often much weaker than their critics assumed."--BOOK JACKET. In seeking to test the conventional wisdom that foreign ministries are in decline, the contributors to this book examine the role and status of foreign ministries in 12 countries together with their place within the European Union