OADI 2285 - Diplomatic engineering and political advising

***UPDATED for 2025/26***

The course focuses on the practical study of diplomatic tools, their users, and the relationships between them. Rather than teaching concepts from theoretical works, the spirit of the course is to share the professor's professional experience, particularly as Political Director of the Quai d'Orsay (negotiations on the Iranian nuclear program, operations in Mali, Libya, etc.), Diplomatic Advisor to the President (creation of the Normandy format with Russia and Ukraine), and Sherpa (participation in the G8 and G7). The aim is to provide students with what could be as close as possible to their initial professional experience. Often using France as an example, but without focusing on France in particular, it analyzes the complex and delicate mechanisms of international political decisions, their presentation to the public, and the management of their consequences.

The course frequently uses examples from current international events or particularly significant events from the slightly more distant past.

The emphasis will be on the ability to manage a negotiating team in complex configurations.

The objective is to provide students with the keys to accurately assess the diplomatic context of their activities, regardless of their future sector of activity: diplomacy, international organizations, the press, or NGOs.

Learning Outcomes

• Knowledge of the mechanisms of diplomatic decisions.
• Ability to accurate analysis of diplomatic decisions/texts.
• Ability to anticipation of the reactions of the main actors.
• Management of a negotiation team.

Professional Skills

Analysis of diplomatic situations. Political advising. Direction of a negotiation team.

The essential knowledge of international relations is assumed to be acquired; the pace and spirit of the course require a very close follow-up of international news.

A commentary will be made on each presentation of a memo in class (with the teacher at the end of the session if the student so wishes).

Feedback will be provided to students by email after the definition and expression of positions exercise (4th session) and by a detailed annotation of the written text commentary exercise.

A whole session will be devoted to collective and individual feedback on the negotiation simulation exercise at the end of the semester.

The assessment will be based on the student's ability to provide a professional type of service, as close as possible to the real life of a diplomatic adviser.

It will take into account the student's ability to assimilate and use the pragmatic principles and tools of the course and to combine them with his/her own culture.

The exercises will be as follows (percentage of the final assessment):

• In Class Presence: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 1 hour a week / 12 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 1 hour a week 12 hours a semester