Teaching

For the past 9 years I have been on the e-learning faculty of DiploFoundation (www.diplomacy.edu).

Distance learning, delivered through the internet, is highly relevant to the training programs of foreign ministries, given that at any point in time around half their personnel are abroad, dispersed at many locations.

The courses I teach include ‘Bilateral Diplomacy’ and ‘21st Century Diplomacy’; I also teach one half of a ‘Public Diplomacy’ course.

I work with an Indian NGO, CUTS of Jaipur, to teach in commercial and economic diplomacy courses, typically of 3 and 4 days duration. The participants include officials at different levels from Indian ministries and from private entities. In November 2008, we also ran this course at Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Research and Writing

I am interested in the diplomatic process, the way it works, its evolution, and its institutions, esp. the foreign ministry and the embassy. Related to this is the issue of improving the capacity and performance of the diplomatic apparatus in developing and transition states, through improved training and better organization.

I also study economic diplomacy and public diplomacy.

I helped to organize two conferences of foreign ministries, held at Geneva in May 2006, and at Bangkok in June 2007 (the latter in cooperation with the Thailand Foreign Ministry).

Another project that is being pursued at DiploFoundation relates to working with small states to improve their diplomacy delivery. The Commonwealth Secretariat is collaborating with us.

I am also engaged in producing some new teaching courses, jointly with other colleagues at Diplo.

Finally, I am working on three book projects.