Kryachkov 2!indd

128
Д. А. Крячков
UNIT IV
EDITING and WRITING
Ex. 25. Write a summary of the text in Reading 2.
Ex. 26. Read the following sample book review and analyze it using the guidelines in 
Unit 3 (ex. 33).
Guerrilla Diplomacy: Rethinking International Relations
By Daryl Copeland
Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2009
First Edition
1
As the erstwhile global village goes heteropolar, it is coming to resemble something 
akin to a patchwork of gated communities surrounded by seething seas of shantytowns. 
In the environment where competing sources of power and influence collide, tensions 
will be generated and sparks will fly, which will inevitably make diplomacy ever more 
complex. While many are quick to recognize this, few can suggest how diplomacy can be 
brought in line with the demands of the diverse yet deeply interconnected world. In his 
provocative, thoughtful, and cutting edge Guerrilla Diplomacy, Daryl Copeland provides a 
very clear and bold blueprint for the reform of diplomatic practice. In his view, the diplo-
matic world should change if it is to retain its relevance and purpose in the age of global-
ized relations.
2
Daryl Copeland served in the Canadian diplomatic service for nearly thirty years, with 
postings in various countries, and in the Department of Foreign Affairs and International 
Trade in Ottawa, working particularly on communications and policy planning. He thus 
brings a practitioner’s eye to his topic and the passion of an individual who believes that 
there has to be — and that there is — a better way.
3
The book starts by analysing the changes that followed the end of the Cold War and 
then goes on to describe globalisation and the new world order. This first part lays the 
foundation for later analysis. The second part of the book is concerned with ‘drivers for 
change’: global security threats, the link between security and development, and the 
changing influence of science and technology. This is followed by an intensive look at the 
foreign ministry, the diplomatic service, and diplomats themselves. As a result, Copeland 
calls for, a new kind of diplomat, a new approach to diplomacy and reform of the foreign 
ministry.
4
The book’s title is striking and thought-provoking. It immediately invokes associa-
tions with small groups, ambush, and mobility, ideas not traditionally associated with 
diplomacy. Copeland describes the term ‘guerrilla diplomacy’ as a special form of public 
diplomacy that engages in horizontal rather than hierarchical communication, takes 
cross-cultural communication seriously, and resembles a grassroots approach to dip-
lomatic practices. ‘Guerrilla diplomats use all of the tools of public diplomacy — but 
combine them with some of the classic qualities of guerrilla warfare: agility, adaptabil-
ity, improvisation, self-sufficiency, and popular support’. He also offers a new unique set 
of skills needed in the diplomatic profession of the 21st century: accessibility, flexibility, 
cultural awareness, and a catalytic and transformational orientation. According to Co-
peland, this is a much needed adaptation to the changed international atmosphere of 
the 21st century.

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