DIPLOMACY:
For Dippers and Diplomats
An Institute for Diplomatic Studies Internet Publication
"May the pens of the diplomats not ruin again
what the people have attained with such exertions."
After the battle of Waterloo
Gebhard Leberecht von Blucher
1742 - 1819
This site was last updated on 3 January 2000.
Recent changes included adding a World DipCon
WORLD DIPCON PHOTO ESSAY/1999 shrine.WDCIX at Namur, Belgium 1999and a World DipCon VIII REPORT.
REMEMBRANCES OF TWO GREAT DIPLOMATSSUMMERTIME READING LIST
36.9892 YEARS/ONE GAME - DIPLOMACY!
A WORLD OF DIPLOMACY &
Diplomacy!!
AN INTERNATIONAL
PEERISPECTIVE!!!
Welcome to my world, the world of DIPLOMACY (Allan Calhamer's classic game of that
name, published by the Avalon Hill Game Company in the United States, and worldwide by other
purveyors of fine gaming materials) and Diplomacy (The kind that Madeleine Albright does and
Henry Kissinger did indulge in).
My world? Yes, I consider it to be my world, although not exclusively mine. During the last
third of a century I've played DIPLOMACY almost exclusively. I've played it in friendly face-to-face games and cut-throat international competitions. I've played all over North America and
Europe. I've played in and gamemastered PBM DIPLOMACY games since 1966, including the
currently on-going WorldWide Postal DIPLOMACY Championship (WWPDC) that features
seven teams of players from ten countries playing in seven games!
No other game. No other hobby. No other interests. Well, that last isn't quite true. You see, I
am also interested in that other kind of diplomacy, the kind real diplomats play. I've been
interested in that even longer than I have been interested in the game DIPLOMACY.
And so this page is about those interests, DIPLOMACY and Diplomacy (No, that's not a
typographical error, just an easy way to differ between the two.), or "Dip&dip" as you'll
sometimes see here, both seen from my uniquely international peerispective and presented through
a rather convoluted language form called Peeriblah. Unless you are a DIPLOMACY player
you've probably never heard of it. But don't worry, if you stick around long enough you'll get
used to it. Who knows, you may even grow to like it.
I am not a computer geek, or even a nerd. To me computers, the Net, the Web, and web pages
are merely tools for the acquisition and distribution of information. I have no interest in the fancy
elements of web pages. I just want to use this page to receive from you and send to you
information pertaining to "Dip&&dip." The primary purpose is thus educational, not
entertainment. Ours, not yours or mine. With that understood, let me tell you how I initially
propose to do this. And, as always, this is a "site under permanent construction." This first
offering is our menu and wine list for the issues to come. Hopefully it will wet your appetite
enough that you'll be back in a month or so when we update this page.
- Larry Peery
INDEX
This Index will serve three purposes: (1) to tell you what's here; (2) to take you there quickly;
and (3) to let you know what contents have been recently updated.
INDEX
DIPLOMACY: The Game
Diplomacy: The Profession
diplomacy: For the student
THE BIG STIX: Military Aspects of Diplomacy
DIPLOMATIC DISPATCHES: News of "Dip&dip"
DIPLOMATIC NOTES: Views of Dippers and diplomats
I HAVE THE HONOR TO REPORT: Reviews
PEERISPECTIVE: Looking Around
PEERIRETROSPECTIVE: Looking Back
PEERIPSYCHIC: Looking Ahead
PEERIBLAH: Where to Find the Latest
THE LINKS
As the good Dr. Johnson said, "Knowledge is of two kinds. We know a subject ourselves, or
we know where we can find information on it." Nowhere is this more true than in the fascinating
world of the Web, its browsers, and pages. How many hours have you spent searching for
something that you just knew "had to be there" without being able to find it?
Perhaps I can save you a bit of time and frustration. Or even better, perhaps I can suggest
some new areas for you to look into and sites to explore. This time I have three groups of sites for
you to look over. The first deals with the game of Diplomacy. The second deals with news
related to diplomacy. The third deals with institutions that deal with diplomacy in a fairly broad
sense from a military perspective. Finally, I offer one special focus site that offers something a bit
different. I'll try to give you an idea of what each site is like and what you'll find there, but the
only real way to learn that is to go look at them. So get surfing. Note that some of my comments
may seem flippant. They are. But I just can't take some of this stuff too seriously. If I did, I
would cry.
Here's a brief overview of what each Index heading will cover starting with our four main
subject areas: The game DIPLOMACY, the profession of diplomacy, the student of
DIPLOMACY and diplomacy, and the relevance of military power to both.
DIPLOMACY: The Game
Here we will discuss the game of Diplomacy, particularly focusing on the international
Diplomacy hobby and its activities. We'll also spend a lot of effort trying to put faces and
personalities to some of the people you'll meet in this unique hobby. You'll find news, views, and
reviews, but no games and precious little chat; as well as some links to other game and hobby
related sites on the Web, or email addresses of people who use the Internet for mail. You may
even find a few snail mail addresses because, strange as it may seem to you, not everybody uses
the Internet or Web. Thank God!
LINKS HERE
Diplomacy: The Profession
Diplomacy, the game, for most people is a hobby, a form of recreation. Diplomacy, the
profession, for most diplomats is a job or a career, rarely a form of recreation. Sometimes,
however, the two actually do combine in one person's life and we have a Diplomacy player who is
also a real diplomat, or even a real diplomat who is also a a Diplomacy player.
It is interesting to note that if you search on the word "diplomacy" using any of the major
search engines you will find thousands and thousands of listings, about half of them pertaining to
Diplomacy and half of them pertinent to diplomacy. Obviously, a better search criteria is called
for. Still, it is fascinating to just sit and browse through the lists.
In our discussion of "real world" diplomacy, we'll be looking at the activities of real diplomats
(both amateurs and professionals), the problems they deal with, the ways they work and even some
of the fascinating personalities who make up today's international diplomatic corps. You'll get a
chance to see how Diplomacy players and diplomats compare.
diplomacy: The Student
You don't just become a good Diplomacy player or a good diplomat. It takes some talent and
a lot of study and practice. I hope to share with you some information that will help you learn
more about both Dip&dip, from the academics to the real world of "hard-ball" play. It is true, you
can learn a lot by reading and there certainly is a lot to read about both types of diplomacy. But
you'll learn more, faster, by playing the game or practicing your diplomatic skills in the real world.
What you read here and what you read at other sites we'll direct you to will help your academics.
Attending some of the events, usually called "cons (short for conventions)," will help your play.
And who knows, we may even suggest a real diplomatic event or two for you to take in.
LINKS HERE
THE BIG STIX: Military Aspects of Diplomacy
As someone --- it may have been anyone from Caesar to Schwartzkopf --- said, "Power grows
out of the barrel of a pen;" and someone else --- it may have been anyone from Machiavelli to
Albright --- said, "Speak loudly and carry a sharp dagger." The reality is that in both Diplomacy
and diplomacy, size matters; and size usually translates into military power. In Diplomacy we
speak constantly of numbers of supply centers and units such as armies and fleets. Eighteen is the
magic number. You get that and you win! In diplomacy, it isn't quite so simple, or so precise.
We talk of tens of thousands of units, ranging from nuclear warheads to MBTs. There is no magic
number, but more is usually thought to be better; except that one school of thought in the high-tech West now suggests that fewer of better units is best. We'll see.
The bottom line is that military power is a very real part of Diplomacy and diplomacy; and
we'll be looking at it closely.
We'll be using a wide variety of tools to discuss these subjects. Here are just three of the major
types you'll frequently encounter in this site.
DIPLOMATIC DISPATCHES: News of "Dip&dip"
I'm not sure which is more important in "Dip&dip:" news, views, or gossip! I suppose they
both require a good assortment of all three. However, for the most part, you'll find more here of
the first two than the last. News comes in many forms: official announcements, rumors,
interviews, press reports, and of course, there is that old adage that "actions" speak louder than
words. Much depends on the source. For years everyone assumed that the real news about what
was going on in the USSR appeared in PRAVDA and IZVESTIA on the bottom of the last page,
never on the first page. In the UK, no news appeared on the first page of the SUNDAY TIMES. It
was always filled with personal ads. Everyone always believed that the news that came out of
Rome from Vatican Radio and L'OSSERVATORE ROMANO was gospel. Not so. And of
course, for years the news and editorial pages of Parisian newspapers have been indistinguishable
from each other. Ah, and then there are the tabloids! What would we do in the grocery store lines
without them?
I prefer news from the source, or at least a first-hand report, but if I have to I'll use a second-hand source I know to be reliable. So, if you have news you'd like to circulate, send it along. I
only ask that it be in English, or with an English translation; that it be of reasonable length, and not
too difficult to read. Hard copy material or email are equally acceptable.
LINKS HERE
DIPLOMATIC NOTES: Views of Dippers & diplomats
Views can be expressed in many ways. Most publications use editorials. Most readers use
letters to the editor. If you read either or both regularly, you probably wonder sometimes if
newspaper editorial staffs and newspaper readers speak the same language. I expect to share my
views with you on all of the subjects we will be discussing. I'll try to make it clear what is news
and what is opinion. You're welcome and expected to do the same. However, just as this is NOT
a game site, it is also NOT a chat site. There are plenty of those dealing with both Dip&dip.
Remember our focus is on education and information, not entertainment.
I HAVE THE HONOR TO REPORT: Reviews
Next to columns, reviews are, in my view, the most literarily significant part of a information
source. Every time you write one you put your name on the line. I've been writing reviews of one
kind or another for a long time. I enjoy doing it. Most of mine will be of printed material, and the
occasional Net or Web site. Con and other event news will be rarer, but given much fuller
treatment. In those I try not just to tell you what happened, but actually bring you into the picture.
I'll always be looking for reviews of Dip&dip related materials.
It's a fact of life, albeit a sad one, that there are more people interested in reading about
Dip&dip than there are interested in writing about it. Every pubber is always looking for good
material, either new or second-hand. Like all others, I prefer the first, but if it is good I have no
problem taking seconds. On the other hand, if I don't get good material those two month
deadlines I am planning may stretch into quarters, or thirds, or ...
No web site publisher or editor can keep himself totally out of the picture. I won't even try. This page is mine and
its primary purpose is to present what I wish to present. I hope you will want to read and react to it. If not, go
elsewhere. Here's an idea of what to expect from me.
PEERISPECTIVE: Looking Around
I get a lot of information about Diplomacy and diplomacy. More than I can actually use. So
why not share some of it with somebody that can use it? I write a lot about the international
Diplomacy hobby. That doesn't just exist. It didn't just happen. It has taken a lot of work by a
lot of people over a long period of time to create it. And it takes a lot of effort to keep it going.
Information is the lifeblood of Diplomacy and diplomacy. Knowing what's going on and where to
find out is "job one" for every Diplomacy player and diplomat.
PEERIRETROSPECTIVE: Looking Back
As Santyana said, "Those who do not learn from the past are doomed to repeat it." What is
amazing is that he wrote this in 1904 or so, about the same time most Dippers learn it! Old
Diplomacy players, those few still around, become hobby Old Farts. They publish 'zines that few
others read, go to Cons and mess with Top Board players' heads, and retell the same old stories
that Bruno Berken loves to hear again and again. Old Diplomats write their memoirs, go on the
lecture circuit or serve as commentators for CNN or PBS, and join the boards of directors of big
international corporations. The point is that they do serve as repositories of information about the
past. And while it is true that few listen; some do. Sometimes it even has an impact. From time
to time, I'll be writing about the past in both Diplomacy and diplomacy --- not because the past
necessarily offers any magic solution to today's problems, but just to let you know that the
problems we face today are not unique. In both Diplomacy and diplomacy the key phrase is "Been
there, done that."
PEERIPSYCHIC: Looking Ahead
A lot of Dippers, another term for Diplomacy players, and diplomats don't like to make
predictions about things. Just try to pin down a Dipper on who is going to win a tournament he's
playing in. Or try to pin down a papabili on who's going to be the next pope. You can't do it if
they know their stuff. People are always afraid they'll be remembered, like the CHICAGO
TRIBUNE, for making the wrong call. Not me. I use a different approach. I make so many calls
and predict so many different things that nobody can remember all of them. And later I can
always find one or two that turned out correct. I firmly believe that the best way to prepare for the
future is to study the past, but the only way to be ready for the future is to face up to it.
As an example, some people are still talking about the results of this year's World Diplomacy
Championship event held this past Easter in Goteborg, Sweden. Not me. I'm not even getting
ready for next year's event in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. No, I'm looking for the best airfares
and hotel rates in Namur, Belgium for the 1999 event.
Peeriblah, in case you didn't know, is the generic term for the stuff I write. Use of the term
means two things: I wrote it; and probably used ten times as many words as I needed to to say
whatever it was I had to say (Look at this site, for example.). That's assuming, of course, that I
actually did have something to say; and that is not always the case either. Readers love it or they
hate it. Publishers love it, especially if they are short of material. Editors love it even more
because it gives them a chance to whack away at my verbosity. However you react to it, it's me!
Much of my Diplomacy writing finds it way into a variety of Web and hard copy Diplomacy
publications. You'll find links to many of them on this site. Other items often appear in other
hard copy publications which have nothing, at least obviously, to do with Diplomacy or diplomacy.
If I write something that I think might be of interest to you, I'll let you know where to find it.
Doing so is up to you.
BUT HOW AM I GOING TO DO ALL THIS?
Good question. At the moment I only have an idea and the rough outline you see here. Most
of my ideas tend to be bigger than my capacity for work. I've given you a rough idea of the
territory I hope to cover in this site. I plan to make it as easy on myself as possible by keeping this
site simple, updating it frequently in small doses, using a lot of links to connect you to other
original sources of information on all these subjects, using a series of reviews of all kinds of
materials on these subjects, including the occasional quotation, story, or even incident reports on
various Diplomacy and diplomacy events. For example, I've spent a year collecting my list of
Bookmarks. It includes some sites that most Dippers and diplomats are probably not even aware
of. I'll be featuring some of them from time to time. In addition, you'll find a way to reach me by
email, or even snail mail which I actually enjoy more, so you can send me your news and views,
because this page and I will both thrive on it.
IN CONCLUSION
I've just scanned down the list of Diplomacy players with web sites listed in THE
DIPLOMATIC POUCH. It's a pretty intimidating list. I don't see too many names I recognize.
Most of them are computer whizzes of one kind or another, and Dippers second. I don't fit that
pattern. I'm a Dipper first, a dipper second, and an international bon vivant third. But if you are
interested in the game or hobby of Diplomacy, want a better insight into what's going on in the
real world of diplomacy, or just want to know more about how things look from my peerispective,
stop on by when you're in the neighborhood. The door is always open, if you've got the right
password. That's easy, it's "Dip&dip."
SPECIAL FOCUS SITE
Each time we update this page I hope to include a Special Focus Site. It will always be the last
item on the page. The specific subject may be anything related to our primary subjects. In most
cases it will deal with a current "hot" topic in Dip&dip.
Certainly nothing could be hotter than our first selection: The Russian Northern Fleet -
Sources of Radioactive Contamination.
This site gives you the background information to understand other sites you can find for
yourself by searching on Yahoo, Alta Vista, or any of the major news sources.
In this particular case, I think we need to do more then just read about this problem. It
demands action, but what kind of action? If you check out the U.S. Department of State's web
site; which we'll do later; you'll notice that Secretary of State Albright is big on two things: using
the Internet, and citizen diplomacy. Well, I'm going to take her advice.
Just how, and what the reaction is, you'll find out next time. Now come check out the story
and decide for yourself if this man is a hero or a traitor.
LINK HERE
QUESTO ARCHIVIO STATO TRADOTTO IN "HTML" DA MICHAEL P. MASTON.
SPEDISCA TUTTI LAMENTI A LARRY PEERY. Grazie!
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