Diplomacy as world disclosure: A fractal theory of crisis management

Abstract

This article: Introduces the concept of world disclosure to diplomatic studies; Advances a new logic of diplomatic action that combines pre-reflective and reflective modes of reasoning; Explains why international crises are defined by fractal not linear patterns; Suggests a world disclosing method for making sense of and managing international crises. Drawing on Heidegger’s concept of ‘world disclosure’, the article advances an original analytical framework for studying diplomatic crisis management. It argues that international crises are not linear but fractal developments characterised by a set of self-similar events that repeat themselves at micro and macro scales in an endless loop unless stopped. As interpretations of fractal conditions are shaped by both pre-reflective and reflective considerations, diplomatic resolutions of crises require ‘authentic’ disclosures that challenge the epistemic framework that allows crises to reproduce. Examples from recent crises, especially the one in Ukraine, are used to empirically illustrate the main theoretical points.