Why the EU’s Nobel Prize Is Visionary

2012-10-17T16:50:33Z

The Nobel Prize announcement has triggered another round of EU bashing. There are many reasons today to be critical of the EU. Any positive appraisal of the EU project could be seen counter-intuitive. Keeping this mind, I would like to argue that the decision of the Nobel Prize committee is not only justified but also visionary.

The EU is about negotiations and compromise, both of which are part of its DNA. Every day, hundreds of meetings are held in Brussels discussing everything from the proverbial shape of a banana to geo-strategic issues. Decisions are often made after long deliberations around big tables seating representatives of the 27 member states. Yes, some are ‘more equal’ due to their size and influence, but everybody is involved in making decisions.

The Nobel Prize award for the EU comes at a time when diplomacy and compromise are becoming a necessity. The problems of an interdependent world cannot be solved by the use of military force. A world of bits and bytes cannot be ruled by bombs and bullets. Diplomacy and compromise are not only ethically superior to military force but also more practical. In a world where both diplomacy and compromise are often viewed with suspicion, many can learn from the EU.

Apart from the Nobel Prize justifications, diplomacy and compromise are of geo-strategical relevance for the EU. The EU has fewer chances to remain global player in a system dominated by power politics. Unlike other major power centres (the USA, China, BRICS) the EU cannot centralise and deploy military and financial resources easily. By its design, the EU is slow. Inclusive deliberations take time. Therefore, by promoting inclusive multilateralism on a global level, the EU can gain new influence and power which it cannot get in traditional power politics.

The EU is most vocal in protecting global public goods. It has been a leading promoter of sustainable development and climate change, to name just two policy fields in which it is active.

In Internet politics, the EU is the only public institution that has the means of ensuring that major players such as Microsoft, Google, and Facebook play a fair market game on a global level. Check the size of the offices of these companies in Brussels and you will see why the EU is becoming the regulatory capital of Internet world.

‘We need you’ is the echoing message that comes to Europe from all corners of the world. It is not only because of its market. The world needs the EU as a model for dealing with public policy issues. The world needs the EU because of diplomacy and compromise.

Once the EU gets out of this current financial crisis, the reasoning for the Nobel Prize will be clearer. Today, it may well be a case of us not seeing the forest for the trees.

(Photo © DR)

Opinions voiced by Global Minds do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Global Journal.

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Embassy Buildings: Fortresses or Bazaars?

2012-09-19T19:32:30Z

The recent attacks on diplomatic missions in the Middle East have brought into focus the discussion on embassies and the tension between their function and protection. It reminds me of sessions in the early 1990s when I assisted young Maltese architectural students to design an ideal embassy for a pan-European architectural competition. They found my explanation of diplomacy as a profession that builds bridges between nations through engagement and dialogue counter-intuitive. Most embassies are surrounded by high walls and guarded by heavily armed soldiers. They are far from open and inviting spaces. The embassy architecture symbolises in physical form the tension in the function of diplomacy as well as tensions in global politics.

Since the 1990s, especially after 9/11, the situation has deteriorated. Today, embassies, in particular US embassies, are fortresses. Walls around them are higher, although not high enough to protect them from attack. As the former US ambassador Edward P. Djerejian said ‘we built a 16-foot wall, but there is such a thing as a 17-foot ladder.’ The numbers of security guards in the US embassies alone have multiplied to 40.000 worldwide.

US diplomats are uneasy about this ‘embassy fortress’ that makes their job of engaging with locals more difficult. With more diversified politics, diplomats cannot just maintain relations with local government officias. They have to engage with people in all walks of life, including journalists, business people, and university professors. In a sobering twist of fate, the day after he was killed, the US ambassador in Bengazi was supposed to go to the hospital and discuss a new programme for emergency medicine with Libyan doctors.

Faced with the paradox of needing to engage while maintaining security, some countries use eDiplomacy intensively. It is not surprising that the USA and the UK, countries with the highest security risks, are among the most advanced users of eDiplomacy. What cannot be done in the local streets, bars, and bazaars because of security risks, eDiplomats try to do on Facebook, Twitter, and blogs. The problem is that in societies such as Libya, where diplomacy is most needed, social contacts over tea and coffee matter more than posts on Facebook or Twitter.

Physical embassies will remain important in the Internet era. Embassy architects will be even more challenged to design an engaging and communicative function of diplomacy, while factoring in the need to secure the building from potential attack.

Can we imagine a day when embassies will be located at local bazaars, where people mingle and interact freely? It would certainly signal a return to diplomacy’s original and core function.

In the meantime, as embassy architects try to combine a fortress and a bazaar in one building, I wonder whether it is, in fact, a case of ‘mission impossible’?

(Photo © DR)

Opinions voiced by Global Minds do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Global Journal.

Read the original article on Diplo.

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Why the EU’s Nobel Prize Is Visionary

Embassy Buildings: Fortresses or Bazaars?