Subverting the Art of Diplomacy: Bullshit, Lies and Trump

Abstract

Diplomacy is essential for mediating between states to find resolution, compromise, and agreement, often in challenging situations, with grace and foresight. The language of diplomacy requires subtlety and skill, and sometimes opacity to enable differing opinions to surface and alternative conclusions to be reached. To skilfully apply this instrument, it is a virtue to avoid insult and to settle differences by peaceful and respectful means, and to avoid unnecessarily inflaming passions. Bullshit, a deceptive method which aims at manipulating the opinions and attitudes of those with whom the bullshitter speaks, with no regard for the truth, can be no part of this art. Yet, as I will argue here, the U.S. president Donald Trump all too often engages in bullshit and lies in his dealings with international states. Trump confidently, even bombastically, asserts his success and abilities on foreign policy issues and international negotiations; however, on closer analysis of social media, it is clear that Trump lacks these vital skills, frequently compromising agreement and undermining progress. This article examines the difference between bullshit and diplomacy by analysing Trump's statements on social media platforms and concludes that Trump's bullshit is a threat to diplomacy.

Populist Bullshit in International Politics

“…The functioning of international institutions often hinges on a basic assumption that speakers and participants care about the content (more specifically, the accuracy) of what they say. This is most evident in the case of diplomacy, whether in summitry or everyday processes of interaction (Özdan, 2020;Blanc in this volume;Destradi et al in this volume). The penchant for personalized politics diagnosed above, combined with the likelihood of populist bullshit (whether evasive or primarily for domestic consumption, or both), is likely to affect, for example, relations between the US, Mexico, and Canada; or between the US and its European partners (Löfflmann, 2019;Skonieczny, 2018).…”

The Rise of Nationalist Populist Leaders and Nuclear Order

“…Due to the fact that nationalist populist leaders speak aggressively and irresponsibly on Twitter without realising the gravity of their discourses and the subsequent effects their tweets may have when read by various audiences, a future situation similar to the one described above may lead to an escalation of conflict in a delicate setting. According to Özdan [11], instead of healing relationships, bridging gaps, and building trust between counterparts, irresponsible Twitter conversations lead to misunderstandings and foster mistrust, intensifying conflict needlessly. In the background of debates about nuclear weapons, nationalist populists such as Trump engage in 'loose talks' that violates the rules of employing nuclear deterrent deliberately, so undermining nuclear order.…”