Language and Negotiation in a New World of Challenges

Abstract

The theme of negotiation in the field of International Studies is increasingly characterizing the current discussion on how to manage diversity and conflict in our age. Much diversity scholarship emphasizes how racial, ethnic, class, gender and sexual identities give rise to different ways of seeing the world. The article is an enquiry into the field of International Relations and Diplomacy as an interdisci-plinary field dominated by Language, the central essence of the diplomatic vocation. The core of the study has been to gain insight into the various perspectives the field can be considered from in order to obtain a better understanding of the use of language in diplomacy. The research highlights some aspects of the language of international public relations, with reference to the different functions and a special attention to the concept of clarity/ambiguity as a language resource in complex or critical situations such as legal documents and peace treaties.