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Giuseppe de Camelis
Professor Matthew Halikias
Emergence Global Society
November 2nd, 2019
Diplomacy Assignment
Rivalry and hatred between different groups of people have always been part of our
existence. Throughout the centuries, human beings have conquered, destroyed, murdered, and
carried out countless wars, which resulted in catastrophic consequences every single time.
Individuals have constantly felt the need to be strong, powerful, and dominant, therefore brutal wars
have sadly been the only rational solution to achieve this sense of control, supremacy. However, as
years went by, various countries developed an alternative method of negotiation, whose goal is to
find a solution for both sides without resorting to violence: diplomacy. According to its definition,
diplomacy refers to an agreement made among states through the legislative power of several
government representatives. As a matter of fact, these well-trained government workers believed
that simple communication and alliances between regions would be the most peaceful solution to
achieve certain goals. Nowadays, many historians focus on this very significant theme, and have
distinct opinion on whether diplomacy has led to either positive or negative consequences.
To better understand the role and effects of diplomacy, I was part of a diplomacy game in
my Emergence Global Society class. The game was based on seven different teams, where each one
represented one of the 7 great European powers such as Italy, France, Germany, England, Austria,
Russia, and Turkey. Beginning at the dawn of the 20th century, the game was carried out year-by-
year, specifically between the fall and spring season of each year. Each team was divided into three
main categories, which would each play a key role in the activity. One person, being the notes-
keeper, had to write down every single decision made throughout the course of the game, and also
planned for eventual future tactics. Another member of the team, being the diplomat, had what I
believe the most significant role in the game. After discussing with his own team, this person had
the option to engage with different countries’ diplomats, and create any type of alliance (true or
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false) in order to be as competitive as possible for each year of the game. Last but not least, each
country would elect a monarch, whose goal would be to give the final order discussed by the entire
team for each season. If the monarch did not agree with the rest of the team, no strategic movement
would have been able to be executed. Each team began the name with the same number of armies
and fleets; however, by the end of the game, the team with the highest number of provinces would
win.
As the game began, I was assigned the role of scribe for my native country, Italy. Although I
was not too sure about how to best contribute to my country’s goals, I quickly started enjoying the
game overall, especially my position. My work throughout the entire game was very demanding
because I had to write down every single movement that was discussed with the team, and
eventually approved by the monarch. As each season lasted between fifteen and twenty minutes
depending on the professor, I had to get all the key ideas together in a very short period of time.
