International Relations, Diplomacy and Foreign Policy
International Relations, Diplomacy and Foreign Policy asks you to use the vocabulary of the discipline precisely and apply it to Sri Lanka's own practice as a non-aligned, middle-income island state living by trade, remittances, tourism and maritime security.
Core concepts
- Sovereignty and non-interference: UN Charter Article 2(4) on the use of force, Article 2(7) on domestic jurisdiction, and pacific settlement under Article 33.
- Non-alignment: Ceylon took part in Bandung (1955) and Belgrade (1961); the tradition explains Sri Lanka's preference for issue-based coalitions, Indian Ocean neutrality and opposition to great-power rivalry on its soil.
- Law of diplomacy: the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations 1961 covers inviolability of mission premises (Art. 22), the diplomatic bag (Art. 27) and persona non grata (Art. 9). Consular relations fall under the 1963 Convention and carry narrower immunity.
- Instruments: treaty signature, ratification, accession and entry into force; the difference between a joint communiqué, a memorandum of understanding and a binding treaty.
- Correspondence: a note verbale is unsigned, third person and sealed; a formal note is signed and first person; an aide-mémoire records a position; a démarche conveys a formal protest or request.
Worked example
A diplomat's spouse injures a pedestrian while driving. The receiving state cannot prosecute, because immunity covers the household, and only the sending state can waive it. The remedies are to request a waiver through the foreign ministry or to declare the diplomat persona non grata under Article 9, requiring departure without prejudice to accrued rights. A consular officer in the same position faces narrower immunity and can be prosecuted for a serious offence.
Traps
Confusing diplomatic with consular immunity; equating non-alignment with neutrality; describing a communiqué as legally binding; citing a treaty the state concerned has not ratified.