Call for Proposals | Forum: Trump's Diplomacy
Donald Trump’s approach to diplomacy represents an explicit and intensified form of leader-centric and procedurally disruptive diplomatic practice. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩’𝐬 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐥𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐝𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐩𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐧𝐨𝐫𝐦𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬?
This forum examines Trump’s diplomacy as a form of diplomatic practice that has elicited adaptive responses across bilateral and multilateral settings. It is concerned with diplomacy as an institution and a set of practices. While policy outcomes and consequences will feature in these contributions, these should serve primarily as context for analyses of changing diplomatic processes, interactional dynamics, and institutional displacement. We invite submissions engaging with the following questions:
1. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩’𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐬𝐭𝐲𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐞 𝐔.𝐒. 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐢𝐠𝐧 𝐩𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐲 𝐝𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧-𝐦𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐞𝐬, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐰𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐞𝐪𝐮𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬? Trump’s diplomatic style challenges established bureaucratic processes, displacing institutional routines, fragmenting decision-making authority, and altering the role of professional diplomats. How do these changes affect diplomatic coherence, credibility, and crisis management?
2. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨𝐞𝐬 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩’𝐬 𝐝𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐜𝐲 𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐬𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬 𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐠𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐝 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐬? International politics are constituted through diplomatic practices, protocols, and shared expectations. Trump’s approach has required foreign leaders and foreign ministries to adapt to new interactional norms, signaling environments, and channels of access. What strategies have different actors adopted in response?
3. 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐝𝐨 𝐦𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐢𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐥 𝐢𝐧𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐭𝐮𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐝𝐢𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐜 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐬 𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐩𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐦𝐩’𝐬 𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐚𝐜𝐡? Trump’s diplomacy has often privileged closed-door meetings, informal coordination, and bargaining over multilateral procedures. How have international organizations, alliances, and multilateral negotiations adjusted to these shifts? Do such adaptations signal institutional erosion, resilience, or transformation in contemporary diplomacy?
The forum will consist of short pieces (4000 words). 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐬𝐮𝐛𝐦𝐢𝐭𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧 𝐚𝐛𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭 (𝐦𝐚𝐱 250 𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬) 𝐢𝐬 𝐌𝐚𝐫𝐜𝐡 31𝐬𝐭. Send it to Editors Jérémie Cornut (jcornut@sfu.ca), Deepak Nair (Deepak.Nair@anu.edu.au), and Marcus Holmes (mholmes@wm.edu). Confirmation of selection will be sent in early April. 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐝𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐞 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐲 𝐰𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐛𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐲 31𝐬𝐭.