Comprehension Ex. 1. Identify the topic and the thesis of the text. Make sure they are neither too broad nor too narrow.

Ex. 2. Suggest Russian equivalents for these word combinations from the text.

the realm of diplomacy from the ground up

in the throes of information-driven revolutions a host of shortcomings

the socialization of globalization's costs overarching concern

the privatization of globalization’s benefits to spell a paradigm change

theorists and practitioners of realpolitik statecraft

Ex. 3. Think of several questions to bring out the main ideas and arguments the authors puts forward in support of their thesis.

Vocabulary

Ex. 4. Translate the following words and phrases, reproduce the contexts in which the words in (a) are used in the text (the lines of the text are indicated to help you).

a)

to be ripe for smth (1 – 10)

dimension (dimensions) (50 – 60) premium (80 – 90)

viable (50 – 60) agenda (90 – 100)

odds (50 – 60) to amount to smth (100 – 110)

to be on the threshold of smth (70 – 80) (in)tangible (100 – 110)

to disseminate (70 – 80) to empower (empowerment) (100 – 110)

to uphold (70 – 80) to epitomize (epitome) (110 – 120)

b)

to set the agenda, to be high on the agenda, political/economic/legislative agenda, the next item on the agenda, hidden agenda, to be at odds with, the odds are stacked against sb, against all the odds, tangible proof, to uphold the law, to uphold human rights, a moral/economic/political dimension to smth, to add a new dimension to sth., to put/place a premium on smth, to be at a premium, an issue of international dimensions, to be the epitome of success

Ex. 5. Match some of the words and phrases from Ex. 4 with their opposites below.

abstract, harmonious, insignificant, obvious, substantial, sufficient, to keep secret, to limit opportunities, to oppose, to underestimate, to withhold, unachievable, unsuitable

Ex. 6. For each word given below find at least three words from the box that can go with it. Some words from the box can go into several groups. Can you continue the lists? Use the expressions in sentences of your own.

to pursue alternative benefits to acquire to overcome democracy ideas to promote

spiritual policy improvement information there is no ~ in knowledge against principles

results solution to increase tradition economic way to do smth to ignore lurking behind smth

tangible __________ __________ __________	to uphold __________ __________ __________	to disseminate __________ __________ __________	hidden agenda __________ __________ __________
dimension __________ __________ __________	empowerment __________ __________ __________	viable __________ __________ __________	the odds __________ __________ __________

Ex. 7.*** Suggest stylistically neutral synonyms for the following words. Supply contexts to bring out the difference between synonyms in each pair.

in the throes of subsidiary paramount to emanate

ascendant obsolescence conjointly antithetical

Ex. 8. Express the same idea using the words and phrases from Ex. 4 instead of the underlined parts.

1. Soft power is abstract, but not a chimera.

2. Our countries are entering a new era in our relations with BRICS.

3. According to the defense minister, a transformed military will consider adaptability to emergent situations and rapid responsiveness the most important.

4. The Arab Spring clearly demonstrated that those who ignore the fast-emerging cyber aspect of international relations do so at their own peril.

5. Companies in which foreign capital’s share was more than half of the total capital constituted 63.1 per cent of all joint-stock companies.

6. Few principles can be held as a typical example of America's unique national character as can the First Amendment

7. We cannot go back to the medieval times when the Church took over the spiritual control of Western Europe, deciding what is morally right for society.

8. Soft power issues are, at present, in the focus of attention of educationalists, policy makers and researchers.

9. The information revolution has changed the landscape of information gathering, which inevitably has introduced changes to the role of diplomats.

10. The ministry’s spokesperson reiterated that additional sanctions would effectively be the same as an attempt at toppling the regime.

11. The theories which sociologists and economists use to explain business life almost entirely run counter to one another.

12. The UN resolution stresses that gender equality and broader opportunities for women are key elements in the reduction of their vulnerability to HIV/AIDS.

13. In the age of WikiLeaks, the freedom to circulate information and its corollary, the freedom to know what those in power have said or done in secret, have found ever more vigorous proponents, but also those who ask whether it has its limits.

14. With political and financial support of Member States, we are now working on several fronts to bring about visible improvements in U.N. peacemaking capacity

15. EU leaders endorsed the decision of EU Foreign Ministers to suspend talks on the accession of the country to the Union.

16. Traditional international relations theory posits there is no alternative that can successfully replace the nation-state in such realms of life as the provision of peace and order within borders and collective action abroad.

17. Despite enormous difficulties and for the first time in decades, British diplomacy is advancing not retreating.

18. Besides the obvious economic benefits, the presence of international organizations in Vienna also creates many immaterial benefits for the host country.

19. We believe that the resolution should not be part of covert attempts to yet again institute regime change and should be considerably toned down.

20. Paradoxically, interdependence brought about by globalization gives rise to profound uncertainties and high risks; information is scarce and therefore highly valued.

21. States often have non-state actors implement policies that they cannot perform themselves due to certain constraints. Yet, by outsourcing its activities, the state is outsourcing its legitimacy, broadening opportunities and competences of non-state actors, and losing control over them.

22. The UN has more than once pointed out that humanitarian challenges have now become particularly serious and large-scale and thus cannot be addressed by individual states.

23. The leaders and opinion makers are increasingly criticising the dominant policies and their effects; the time may thus have come for a 'paradigm shift' away from a model based on competitiveness, greed and market expansion.

24. Diplomats often function as spies, which can put at risk their ability to conduct normal diplomatic activities and makes it more likely that they can be expelled for espionage.

Ex. 9. Complete the following sentences using the words and phrases from Ex.4 in their correct form.

1. A _______ is a secret reason for doing something because it will bring you an advantage.

2. Although the coercive power’s reputation for successfully using armed force in the past improves the _______ of coercive diplomacy being effective, it does not guarantee a favorable outcome.

3. Democracy can yield a range of _______ benefits by encouraging stability and good governance, which are essential for economic prosperity.

4. EU enlargement has proved to be the only __________ policy for stabilising the countries of the western Balkans region and stimulating their political and economic progress.

5. As Wikileaks releases have demonstrated, what a country's leader or a minister may say in private is often __________ his public pronouncements.

6. There are always moral _______ to scientific advances because with every such development at least the following question arises: Is it moral or desirable to put into practice everything that our new capacities enable us to do

7. Suggestions to stay longer in Darfur would feed the Sudanese suspicion that the presence of the UN serves the _______ of some of the member states.

8. The UN is to universally __________ human rights of all peoples, regardless of where they live.

9. The Soviet Union was South Korea's second-largest communist trading partner (after China); in 1989 bilateral trade between the two countries _______ $599 million

10. With 68 percent of players being African American, the National Football League of 1998 appears to be the model societal institution that _______ racial harmony and equal opportunity.

11. This president’s second term was supposed to be an opportunity to make his mark on the world stage, but instead he's just struggling to redefine his foreign policy record, and the _______ look stacked against him.

12. Many consider the Western form of governance that __________ the liberal democratic values of freedom of speech superior to the repressive dictatorships Iran and Libya?

13. Given the reset in our relations, the time __________ for major international actors to devise a security architecture capable of maintaining peace and security throughout the world.

14. The US has no formal diplomatic relations with Iran, which is __________ Washington and other western governments over its nuclear program. 

15. We stand __________ an era in which the political, social, and economic organization will be different from anything we have known so far. In the next few decades, our leaders will recognize recognize the changing system and provide an appropriate collective response.

16. In the realist school, power is associated with the possession of certain __________ resources, including population, territory, economic and military strength.

17. For traditional diplomatic institutions, having to work with a greater number of civil society actors means __________ state/non-state coordination, including the creation of state/non-state coalitions.

18. Today, the contrast between North and South Korea could not be sharper. South Korea is the __________ of a Cold War success, an open economy showing the triumph of capitalism over communism.

19. In an age where huge amounts of data can be __________ instantaneously via the internet or be transported in a memory stick the size of a pen, no secret can be safe.

20. In response to natural disasters, time is always __________.

21. Traditional foreign policy tools are increasingly complimented by newly innovated and adapted technologies that __________ groups of individuals to achieve their own aims.