By Dr. Brian Endless, President of the AMUN Board of Directors

Did that representative just insult me? Diplomats don’t do that, do they? Are they even ALLOWED to do that???

It turns out that sometimes things are not all peaceful in the world, and this includes speeches at the United Nations. There are a number of countries with diplomatic conflicts on the world stage, and some of these have been going on for decades. Most of these stay civil – after all, diplomacy is supposed to be a gentle-person’s game. But at times leaders and diplomats at the UN and in the press will call out opposing countries, sometimes in ways that are just plain rude and offensive.

At AMUN, we ask that everyone do their very best to keep your role playing both diplomatic and accurate to what your country’s diplomats do at the UN. But what should you do when being accurate to the real world includes decidedly UN-diplomatic behavior? 

The answer is to be appropriate, be thoughtful and be judicious on all sides. This includes on the RARE occasions when it may be appropriate for a representative to use a term that some might consider unwise.

Remember a few things: 

• Insults are RARELY used in diplomacy. This is why they often stand out when we hear them. 
• A general rule of thumb is that a diplomat will never UN-intentionally insult another diplomat or country. Don’t throw out a highly negative word or phrase just because your country has used it in the past and be purposeful when you do.
• When you are not discussing an area of conflict with another country, there is almost never a reason to be insulting or to call names. Practice the art of simply not talking about that other country. 
• On the rare occasions when it is used, UN-diplomatic language should be kept to public speeches, not used in caucusing or behind-the-scenes.
• Finally, insults almost never win the day, they simply call attention to a problem. If you are negotiating to solve a problem, save it for another time. Representatives may consider “going negative” when a problem can’t be solved, and your country believes another country is in the way.

In practical terms, if you are one of those countries that occasionally uses harsh language, please note that it is ONLY realistic to be hostile toward another country IF your country actually uses this language at the UN or in other international relations. To role play well, please look up speeches and have them available if you are challenged. Also, please stick to the things that diplomats from your country in the real world have said in public, preferably at the UN. And remember, while political leaders may more often throw out insults, diplomats rarely do. At AMUN, students are roleplaying diplomats, not Presidents and Prime Ministers.

On the other side, if you hear another country acting in an undiplomatic fashion, please consider that they may be doing it on purpose in order to stay in character. Whether in an on-going, low-level conflict or an open war, leaders and diplomats will sometimes throw out insults at their adversaries. Once again, please remember a few things as the listener (or recipient!): 

• Give other representatives the benefit of the doubt that they are role playing. The best diplomatic response on your side is to shrug it off and keep working for your country’s position.
• Everyone (hostile parties and others who are interacting with them) needs to remember that when role playing, students may say things that they do not mean. In fact, they sometimes say the opposite of what they personally believe. This is a part of good role playing.
• If you feel insulted, you may want to politely talk with the party that made the statement outside of the room and ask (off the record) if that was a part of their role playing. 
• Please try not to take anything that is said personally. This is especially true if the attack is not aimed at you.
• If you are personally a member of a nationality or ethnic group that is insulted, please remember that this is a SIMULATION. If the other side is role playing correctly, these insults happen in the real world. This is a very small part of how diplomats talk and interact. Diplomats and leaders will on rare occasions use active aggression, not just micro-aggressions, in their speeches.

Two important notes: 

1. AMUN does not allow and has zero tolerance for any personal insults or undiplomatic/insulting behavior directed at anyone attending the conference, whether in or out of role. Role playing never involves personal insults but may sometimes include nasty statements toward someone’s country or their country’s actions.
2. If you or any members of your delegation believe that a personal insult has occurred, or that another representative has gone over a line in role playing, please contact a staff member immediately. 

Even for the most strident countries, insults and undiplomatic language are rare in international relations. As stated earlier, they stand out for this reason. Speakers know EXACTLY what they are doing when they use this language, and overusing it weakens their point.

The best diplomats not only aren’t openly insulting when attacking someone, but they follow another key rule of diplomacy: “diplomacy is the art of telling someone to go to hell in such a way that they enjoy the trip.” Don’t call names, be smart. And if you can make someone think you are being polite too, then all the better. 

Everyone should remember the cardinal rule of diplomacy: a diplomat’s key job is to make friends and influence people, all in the name of your country and fulfilling your diplomatic agenda. Name calling and insults are not recommended to accomplish that goal!