The diplomacy of developing states in international organizations : |b a comparison of the strategies used by the LDCs in UNCTAD and in UNCLOS III
Creators: name: Ralph, Michael
Publisher: name: University of British Columbia
Year: 2010

description: This study analyses the types of strategies which characterise the diplomatic behaviour of developing states at the United Nations. The behavioural patterns of these states are observed within the two selected multilateral conference environments, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) and the Third United Nations Conference on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS III) . These institutions are responsible for bargaining about and debating issues relating to many of the vital problems of developing states. Thus, a fairly representative view of the United Nations diplomacy of developing states can be obtained. Though the concentration of this inquiry is on the diplomatic behaviour and methods of the selected group of states, the success or failure of the strategies used is beyond the scope of this study. The purpose is not to assess the impact of the diplomatic behaviour of developing states on decision-making at the United Nations level, but rather to understand the emergence of the strategies and the factors which support or hinder their use. To understand the mechanics of the diplomacy of developing states and the institutional and other factors which affect them, the comparative method is used in the main parts of this study. The requirements of the comparative method makes this method apt for examining the differences in institutional factors in UNCTAD and UNCLOS III and how these affect the strategies which are used in both forums. The comparative method requires that things compared be similar enough to belong to the same species but differentiated by other characteristics. Commonalities of the selected institutions derive from the fact that they both encompass the UN conference environment in which a particular set of actors conduct their diplomacy. They are set apart by the significant differences in their institutional structures, the issues they deal with, and the factors which affect group formation within them. The sources used for this study are documentary and secondary materials. The data collected from documentary sources are supplemented with those from academic and theoretical sources. In the main parts of the study the empirical data are compared with the theoretical assumptions. The similarities and differences are noted, following which the repetitive characteristics and strategies of developing state diplomacy are outlined. The inquiry examines changes in the nature of the global and the institutional diplomatic environment which inevitably impinge on, and determine the types of, strategies and practices that evolve. Other impermanent factors that affect diplomatic methods and strategies are the nature of the actors and the extent to which their bargaining strength or lack of strength support or hinder the strategies used. The nature of the issues likewise affects the diplomacy of developing states. For example, in the Law of the Sea Conference sessions when the issues being debated are related to jurisdiction over ocean space, countries which possess common geographical features very often share common perspectives on what norms should be established. Thus developed and less developed countries (having common geographical features) frequently group together to cosponsor joint proposals or jurisdictional matters. In UNCTAD countries which share common economic attributes and capabilities likewise often share common perspectives on how issues affecting their economic well-being may be solved. In terms of shares of economic attributes and capabilities, there are wide disparities between developed and less developed countries. This very often, leads to conflicting perspectives of remedial policies to be pursued. These factors combined with others underlie the tendency for countries in the bargaining environment to polarise according to their share of economic wealth. In this latter case the predominant form of group alignment follows the pattern of developed versus less developed countries.