Speaking on the Morning Show last week as President Trump's first year in office came to a close, Jerry Mast, Associate Professor of Political Science at Carthage, reminded us that effective governance depends in part on the skillful use of diplomacy.
What does it mean to be diplomatic? "It means that you try hard to be nice," said Mast. "You try hard to build relationships not with people who are inclined to like you in the first place. You work hard to try to build functional relationships with people who are not inclined to like you in the first place," he said. "That's the point of diplomacy."
True diplomats blend politeness with honesty, with some qualifications. "I think that everyone would concede if they really think about it that you have to be somewhat selective in terms of what you say," Mast said. "And you have to be judicious in how you say it in order to make us get along."
All bets are off, for instance, if the politician in question, for whatever reason, doesn't care about achieving either harmony or effective government.
For the full program, click here.
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