Parlamentarische Diplomatie

Since the end of the Cold War, the number of international contacts between parliaments has increased and the number of international parliamentary institutions (IPIs) has risen sharply. These two manifestations of parliamentary diplomacy have led to a new definition of the term. This basic document contributes to the scholarly analysis of parliamentary diplomacy by providing a theoretical analysis and conceptualization of the phenomenon as well as a historical treatment of the term. On the other hand, the concrete institutional design of Swiss parliamentary diplomacy is examined and evaluated by means of interviews and a compilation of other contributions from the perspective of members of parliament, persons in functions close to parliament and an executive diplomat.