On the Origins of ‘Parliamentary Diplomacy’

Abstract

Starting from the observation of a renaissance of the term ‘parliamentary diplomacy’ in practical politics - if with a shift of meaning from parliamentary methods and procedures toward parliamentary agents - this article pleads for a scholarly adaptation of the concept and suggests not to neglect either of these dimensions. Reviewing the history of the League of Nations, in particular its creation and the policies and patterns of delegation and group formation pursued by the Scandinavian countries, the historical interrelation of the aspect of strategic alignment and representative delegation of legislators is shown. International relations theory, in particular constructivist approaches, should note that the twentieth century’s contribution to diplomatic history, meaning the emergence of multilateral diplomacy on a regular basis, is parliamentary not only in regard to the character of its proceedings, but also increasingly in regard to some of the relevant diplomatic agents.